*Light in the shades of the sunset, Léman, 15.01.2026, 11x18 cm

Light in the Shades of the Sunset, Léman. 15.01.2026

This original plein-air oil painting was created on the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), Switzerland, during a winter sunset in January 2026. Painted directly outdoors, the work explores the subtle spectrum of colour that emerges at the end of the day, when the lake reflects the final light of the sky and transforms it into shifting shades of gold, violet, blue and silver.

Lac Léman is known for its constantly changing atmosphere, where water and sky interact in a continuous play of reflections. Along the shores of Lavaux and the canton of Vaud, sunset light often spreads across the lake in delicate layers, creating luminous transitions that exist only for a few minutes before fading into evening. (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)

On this January evening, the landscape seemed less defined by objects than by colour itself. The surface of the lake absorbed the remaining light and reflected it back through subtle tonal variations, while the horizon dissolved into soft atmospheric gradients. Rather than depicting a specific place, the painting focuses on the fleeting experience of watching light slowly transform into dusk.

The winter season often intensifies these visual effects around Lac Léman. The lower angle of the sun, the clarity of the air and the reflective surface of the water create moments where colour appears unusually vibrant yet fragile. Each shift of light changes the entire atmosphere of the landscape. (Lausanne Tourisme - Official Website)

Created during a single plein-air painting session, this work preserves a brief encounter with the changing shades of sunset over the lake. The painting is less a representation of a landscape than a record of light itself as it moved across water and sky.

This work belongs to my ongoing series dedicated to Lac Léman, Lavaux and the landscapes of Western Switzerland. Each painting records a direct observation of atmosphere, season and the changing rhythms of light in nature.

Original plein-air oil painting by Olga Tacan.

Location: Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), Vaud, Switzerland
Subject: Winter sunset light and reflections on the lake
Region: Lavaux and the Swiss Riviera
Medium: Oil painting
Date painted: 15 January 2026

Oil on paper

Plain air painting

Size 11 x 18 cm

Size with passé partout: 26 x 35 cm

Date: 15 January 2026

Location: Lutry, Switzerland