The fascination of nature

20.12 - 10.01.22

The fascination of nature

Sublime and majestic views of winter’s familiar nature in the Alps are some of the themes explored in this exhibition by artists working at the beginning of the 20th century.

Vijion Art Gallery is pleased to present ‘Winder Landscapes’, an online exhibition showcasing works produced at the beginning of the 20th century and celebrating the winter landscape of the Dolomites and the Alps through the work of Carl Kessler, Carlo de Zulian, Cesare Maggi, Francesco Gibelli, Fritz Osswald, Hippolyte Mouthier, Josef Kneuttinger, Joseph Rummelspacher, Robert Zinner, Rudolf Emil Klöden and Alexander Weise.

It is a collective exhibition of works by Italian, German, French and English painters who express their admiration for the mountains in their paintings and their awesome sublime, which captivated the early modernist imagination. Among the works exhibited are wonderful views of the Dolomites as well as various mountain pictures of our Alpine surroundings. The paintings were created in the period from the beginning to the middle of the 20th century and show intact, partly still untouched landscapes. Given what these works say about the life and appearance of the mountain landscape of that time, they are regarded as truly historical documents.

The works also show the versatility of painting techniques used by the individual artists from the period. There are a wide variety of possibilities for expression, from Impressionist style to photographic realism. In this respect, the brush marks of the individual artists are decisive. The state of mind of the artists in relation to the appearance of the mountains during the act of making characterises the respective modes of representation–sometimes soft, sensitive lines paint the picture of a sensual experience on a mountain at other times, striking, energetic brush strokes sketch the outlines of an imposing, almost dangerous mountain landscape and shows the most diverse artistic conceptions of these mountain ranges. These views are split between a terrifying spectacle of nature and a charming natural wonder–the sublime.

With the properties of nature being tempestuous, peaceful, majestic, and at once familiar, the views presented by this exhibition offer to sensitise us to the need to protect nature and sustain the landscape which inspires.