Olivo Barbieri’s photos of climbers scaling the majestic Alps haven’t been Photoshopped, but the rocky terrain of the mountains they conquer were. The artist has removed all details from the terrain and blocked it with solid white. The alteration emphasizes the massive scale and the dizzying heights these adventurers (who look like tiny ants) are willing to endure. “The subject of Alps, Geographies, and People is how the mountain is perceived from the climbers’ point of view — its peaks and precipices, the mirages and hallucinations in its geography,” Barbieri writes on his website. “In these images, everything is true. The proportions and the forms are real. Even the people and the position they’re in… Those, too, are real.” Take a closer look at Barbieri’s breathtaking images, which we first spotted on Faith is Torment, in our gallery.
Photo credit: Olivo Barbieri
Photo credit: Olivo Barbieri
Photo credit: Olivo Barbieri
Photo credit: Olivo Barbieri
Photo credit: Olivo Barbieri
Photo credit: Olivo Barbieri
Photo credit: Olivo Barbieri
Photo credit: Olivo Barbieri
Photo credit: Olivo Barbieri