Couloir 2

Like ‘Couloir 1’, ‘Couloir 2’, the second print in Peter Doig’s ‘Zermatt’ (D1, 2022), imagines the view skiing behind a companion, this time at what seems to be a high-up, open part of the slope before a stomach-churningly steep drop. In a cinematic style that is characteristic of the ‘Zermatt’ series, Doig angles his viewpoint to look sharply down the slope and into the valley below, showing only a thin sliver of sky at the very top of the frame as if the viewer, taking the role of the skier in pursuit of their friend, is focused completely on the physical task in hand.