3050 - GIOVANNI GIACOMETTI

GIOVANNI GIACOMETTI (Stampa 1868–1933 Glion) Maloja. 1927. Oil on canvas. Monogrammed lower right: G.G. Signed, inscribed, and dated on the reverse: Giovni Giacometti Maloja 1927. 50 × 60 cm. Provenance: - Private collection, USA. - Passed down through the family to the current owners. This work depicts an idyllic winter landscape in the mountain village of Maloja, an important center 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, February 18, 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 this painting, the interplay of warm and cool colors becomes the defining element of the composition. Behind the dark silhouettes of the mountains, the rising 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, punctuated here and there by patches of bright white. Trees and the outlines of houses emerge only faintly, blending into the broadly conceived composition. The lively, at times impasto brushwork lends the surface a dynamic texture. Through this deliberate juxtaposition of color 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 *; that is, VAT is charged on the total amount but will be refunded to purchasers upon presentation of a validly stamped export declaration.