French artist Saype unveils giant fresco at the foot of Mont Blanc

French artist Saype is inviting onlookers to contemplate nature through his latest giant fresco produced at the foot of the Mont-Blanc. Known internationally for his monumental artwork, the artist's latest piece, depicting a child and an elderly person, is located at more than 2,000 metres above sea level, in the northwestern Italian region of Aosta.

"The idea is to build intergenerational bridges. The importance of building bridges between the elderly person -- who for me represents wisdom, experience -- and the youth which represents the future and is full of innocence, etc. I think there simply is a message of contemplating nature." says Saype.

Titled "the immensity of Nature" the nearly 2,500-square-meter black-and-white work was created on the Italian side, using a mixture of charcoal, chalk and casein, which is intended to be natural and eco-responsible.

"I think that previous generations saw the mountain in a completely different way than we do, and future generations will see it even more differently than we do. So that's for sure, but I think it makes it look a bit dull. So I think we really need to look to the future and towards positive things," Saype added.

For the artist, "it's a fast-changing yet fragile environment that we have a duty to respect. Its grandeur reminds us that nature is much greater than man".

"What's special about this piece is that I didn't alter anything, we didn't cut a blade of grass, we didn't move a single stone. So I really came to set myself up in such a way as to move as little as possible from the environment around me. And then, of course, you have to deal with weather changes, rain, storms, fog and so on, but that's part of my job, since I work outdoors."

Saype, a former nurse turned "land artist", began his career as a graffiti artist, before gaining a worldwide reputation for his gigantic grass paintings all over the world.