Dissolving with Alpine Cough, Cosmos Vanitas, Jungfrau, Dusk

Ylva Snöfrid’s high-altitude paintings invite viewers to a contemplative space where we can confront the vastness and the minutiae of our place in the cosmos. The series, Jungfraujoch - High Altitude Paintings, named after a geographical location in Switzerland, were first exhibited at CFHILL in the spring of 2024.

The Jungfraujoch (German: ’maiden saddle’) is a saddle (a pass in a mountain range) connecting two major ‘4000ers’ (a mountain summit that is at least 4,000 metres above sea level) of the Bernese Alps: the Jungfrau and the Möcnch. It lies at an elevation of 3,463 metres (11,362 ft) above sea level and is directly overlooked by the rocky prominence of the astronomical observatory named the Sphinx. The Jungfraujoch, more specifically a glacier saddle on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, is also part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, situated on the border between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch.

The underlying thoughts and themes behind these compositions were touched upon in the introduction to the exhibition at CFHILL:

Jungfraujoch – High Altitude Paintings takes us beyond the gallery walls to the stark elevations of Jungfraujoch, the second highest viewing point in Europe. Here, Snöfrid’s artistry merged with the atmosphere - the result are a series of celestial maps that chart the intimate terrains of our existence. At the heart of Ylva’s narrative is the concept of ‘Vanitas’, a motif that has historically served as a reflection on the transience of life. In her adaptation, these themes are not simply portrayed but are lived and breathed. Each brushstroke carries the weight of altitude; each color choice mirrors the vibrancy of life persisting in the face of inevitable change. […] In this exhibition, we witness a convergence of dualities—from the macrocosm of the universe to the microcosm of individual experience, from the enduring to the ephemeral.

Vanitas (Latin for ‘vanity’, in this context meaning pointlessness, or futility; not to be confused with the other definition of vanity…) is related to the genre of memento mori, symbolizing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure and the certainty of death; thus stressing the vanity of ambition and all worldly desires. Vanitascompositions could be regarded as a type of allegorical art, representing a higher ideal, with paintings in this genre traditionally involving still life imagery of transitory items. The term originally comes from the opening lines of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible (‘Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’), and the genre originated in the 16th century, continuing into the 17th century. Historically Vanitas is a sub-genre of painting heavily related to Dutch painters, likePieter Claesz (c. 1597 - 1660) and Jan Lievens (1607 - 1674), during the Baroque period (c.1585 – 1730). Spanish painters, like Antonio de Pereda (1611 - 1678) and Juan de Valdés Leal (1622 - 1690), working at the end of the Spanish Golden Age (c. 1500 - 1681) also created remarkable Vanitas paintings.

Created in the remote sanctity of the Swiss Alps, Snöfrid’s ritualistic painting reclaims the body’s relationship with the cosmic elements -earth, wind, celestial bodies-, and her art becomes an alchemical process of transformation, invoking the earthly as well as the otherworldly. In conjunction with the exhibition (Jungfraujoch - High Altitude Paintings, 26 April - 22 May 2024) at CFHILL, Therese Modin wrote the following (in her essay ‘Ylva Snöfrid Cosmos and Vanitas in the Light of Conscience’ , 26 April 2024):

In the rarefied air where the infinite sky meets the mortal terrain, Ylva Snöfrid has etched her visions into the canvas of existence. Her latest oeuvre, birthed from the solitude and immensity of Jungfraujoch’s mountaintop, stands as an affirmation to her journey both as an artist and a medium of transcendence. The exhibition Jungfraujoch – High Altitude Paintings is a series that weaves together the universal act of creation with the ephemeral murmurs of decay. This is a homage to the Vanitas tradition of still-life painting which emerged in the Netherlands in the early 17th century, urging contemplation of mortality and the fleeting nature of worldly pursuits. Executed with the focused intent akin to ritual, Snöfrid’s works engage with the

concept of ‘Vanitas’—transcending its role as a memento mori to celebrate ephemeral beauty. Her paintings are contemporary mirrors to the art historical Vanitas, reflecting an enduring engagement with its themes while steadfastly rooted in the present, echoing the interconnectedness of all matter as stardust.

Each of the canvases in the Jungfraujoch - High Altitude Paintings suite captures a fragment of the boundless whilst echoing the infinite, where Snöfrid unifies the microcosm and macrocosm through her subjective perspective. Snöfrid’s earthly physicality, partly affected by the high altitude in this severe environment, served as a medium, or a vessel, channelling the universe in these compositions:

I came to a blurry point in time, where every second took a long time, and felt very present, like the end. Before that, while painting the atmosphere, I perceived the atmosphere starting to be more and more vibrant, almost crawling, like millions of snakes among the stars, and the stars disappeared, and I saw only the moving texture of the atmosphere and the mass of the mountains. I went to bed and tried to sleep. I slept very lightly and listened to my breath, that was kind of uneven. I tried to not sleep deep to not fall into unconsciousness.

Jungfraujoch - High Altitude Paintings serves as an invitation, as well as a challenge, to gaze upon the works and find within them the whispers of the ancients and the stars. It is a human journey through time and space, a celebration of life’s ephemeral beauty and a recognition of our eternal, star-born essence.

Provenance

CFHILL, Stockholm, Jungfraujoch - High Altitude Paintings, 26 April - 22 May 2024.

Firestorm Foundation (acquired from the above).

Copyright Firestorm Foundation