3050 - GIOVANNI GIACOMETTI

GIOVANNI GIACOMETTI (Stampa 1868–1933 Glion) Maloja. 1927. Oil on canvas. Monogrammed lower right: G.G. Signed, inscribed and dated verso: Giovni Giacometti Maloja 1927. 50 × 60 cm. Provenance: - Private collection, USA. - By descent to the present family owners. The present work depicts an idyllic winter landscape in the mountain village of Maloja, an important centre of family life for Giovanni Giacometti. Year after year, the artist longed for the return of the winter sun: ‘I gladly endure these two months of shadow to enjoy the moment when the sun once again rises over the mountains, golden, abundant and warm, and floods my studio.’ (Giovanni Giacometti to Richard Bühler, 18 February 1910). The distinctive atmospheric conditions of the Engadin fascinated Giacometti throughout his life. Seeking to capture nature’s changing appearance in paint, he returned repeatedly to snow-covered landscapes, depicting them in numerous variations and under widely differing light conditions. In the present painting, the interplay of warm and cool colours becomes the defining element of the composition. Behind the dark silhouettes of the mountains, the approaching sun suffuses the sky with delicate shades of yellow and pink. By contrast, the snow-covered slopes and meadows are rendered in subtly modulated blues and violets, interrupted here and there by patches of bright white. Trees and the outlines of houses emerge only faintly, merging into the broadly conceived composition. The lively, at times impasto brushwork lends the surface a dynamic texture. Through this deliberate juxtaposition of colour values and his free handling of paint, Giacometti succeeds in capturing the distinctive atmosphere of the moment. * The full tax is charged on this item marked *, i.e. VAT is charged on the sum will be refunded to Purchasers providing a validly stamped export declaration.