3047 - GIOVANNI GIACOMETTI

GIOVANNI GIACOMETTI (Stampa 1868–1933 Glion) Alpine Meadow near Capolago. Circa 1912–14. Oil on canvas. Monogrammed lower right: G.G. Signed on the reverse: Giovni Giacometti. 55 × 64.5 cm. Provenance: Private collection, Switzerland. Literature: Paul Müller and Viola Radlach: Giovanni Giacometti. Werkkatalog der Gemälde, Zurich 1997, vol. II-2, p. 362, no. 1912.50 (ill.). “Alpweide bei Capolago” revisits a subject that recurs throughout Giovanni Giacometti’s oeuvre, one he explored in numerous variations until the end of his life. The autumn landscape is characterized by luminous colors and atmospheric contrasts. While the woods on the opposite shore of the deep-blue lake are already glowing in warm shades of red and brown, the meadow in the foreground, dotted with grazing cows, still retains the fresh green of summer. Capolago was an important place of retreat and work for Giacometti. Each autumn he left it to spend the winter months in Stampa. As a letter to his fellow artist Cuno Amiet reveals, leaving sunlit Capolago was not easy for him: returning to Stampa meant having to paint in the shadow of the surrounding mountains for the next three months (letter from Giovanni Giacometti to Cuno Amiet, October 8, 1905). Seen in this light, the present autumn landscape takes on particular significance. It bears witness to Giacometti’s attachment to the countryside around Capolago and his appreciation of the clear light and radiant colors of autumn, which he would miss during the winter months in Stampa.