With these paintings Jacques Gassmann has taken his artistic prowess to the mountains. The ski company Völkl sent the artist to the Swiss Alps with skis and snowboards. There they asked him to paint pictures from the view of skiers and snowboarders. Most of these works are owned by the company and can be seen in their headquarters in Straubing, Germany.
The patented ogrody painting technique is perfect for the realization of materials such as snow and cold air. Ink particles and shellac haze translate snow flurries onto the canvases. Crystalline contrasts of white and black accentuate the figures from the hustle and bustle of colour. The figures of these winter sports enthusiasts themselves are painted like photographed silhouettes. Finally, the painter places a mist of colour of immeasurable depth over the surface of the painting. Details blur at the moment of speed. The positions in which the figures of the skiers and snowboarders are painted cannot be maintained without this speed. Only with immense physical effort can an individual achieve balance in acceleration.
The background and the panorama are of no interest to the artist. He is more interested in the futuristic way the individual deals with the phenomenon of the nature sorrounding him. The overwhelming beauty of the topography takes a back seat to the overwhelming experience, the intoxication of speed and life-threatening danger.