*Rain passed away, Lutry, winter. 9.01.2025, 16x25.5 cm

Rain Passed Away, Lutry, Winter. 09.01.2025

This original plein-air oil painting was created in Lutry, Switzerland, during the winter of January 2025, shortly after rainfall along the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Painted directly outdoors, the work captures the fragile moment when rain has just passed and the landscape begins to emerge again through moisture, reflections and changing winter light.

Lutry, situated at the entrance of the Lavaux vineyard region, is a place where weather transforms the atmosphere of the lake with remarkable subtlety. After rain, the surfaces of the village, shoreline and water reflect light differently, creating a landscape filled with transparency, softness and movement. The boundaries between sky, lake and land become less defined, while the air itself seems illuminated from within. (lavaux-unesco.ch)

On this January day, the rain had already disappeared, yet its presence remained visible everywhere: in the damp reflections, the softened colours and the luminous winter air that followed the storm. The lake reflected shifting tones of grey, silver and pale blue while the surrounding landscape seemed suspended between clearing weather and lingering mist.

Winter conditions around Lac Léman often produce complex atmospheric effects involving fog, humidity and rapidly changing light. As moisture evaporates and temperatures shift, the landscape transforms minute by minute, making direct observation essential to the plein-air process. (MeteoSwiss)

Rather than depicting a specific event, this painting focuses on the sensation that follows rainfall: the calm after movement, the clarity after turbulence and the renewed brightness that appears once the storm has passed. The work preserves a fleeting state of atmosphere that existed only briefly before changing again.

This painting belongs to my ongoing series dedicated to Lutry, Lavaux and the landscapes surrounding Lake Geneva. Each work records a direct encounter with weather, season and light observed in nature.

Original plein-air oil painting by Olga Tacan.

Location: Lutry, Lavaux, Vaud, Switzerland
Subject: Winter atmosphere after rain near Lac Léman (Lake Geneva)
Region: Lavaux UNESCO World Heritage landscape
Medium: Oil painting
Date painted: 9 January 2025

Oil on paper

Plain air painting

Size 22 x 25.5 cm

Size with passé partout: 25 x 53 cm

Date: 9 January 2026

Location: Lutry, Switzerland