A. Thony

The Vajolet Towers Author: A. Thöny Period: Early 20th Century Origin: Italy Technique and Support: Oil on canvas applied to cardboard Dimensions: Height: 33 cm Width: 27 cm Description: The artwork represents a landscape view of the Vajolet Towers, a prominent rock formation in the Catinaccio (Rosengarten) Dolomites massif. The artist utilizes a vertical composition, ideal for emphasizing the rising trend of the towers, which stand monumentally against the celestial background. Thöny's pictorial language is characterized by dense and vigorous brushstrokes, particularly evident in the rocky details, where the use of oil colour is employed to render the calcareous shades typical of Dolomite rock. The prevailing tones are ochre, warm greys, and earthy greens, with inserts of white and blue suggesting the presence of reflected light or residual snow. The atmosphere is rendered with a balance between solid and vaporous masses: the towers emerge from banks of low clouds, creating a contrast between the stability of the mountain and the dynamism of the sky. The sky is treated with cool tones, in a range of blues and light greys, obtained with light glazes, which contrast with the more marked and textured strokes of the rock. The viewpoint is raised but slightly off-center, offering a framing that enhances the perspective and depth of the landscape, with hints of blurred mountain ridges on the horizon, painted with cobalt blue and greys to create a sense of atmospheric distance. Signed at the bottom right, "A. Thöny". A. Thöny was active in Merano, in the Alpine region of South Tyrol, and belonged to the late nineteenth-century romantic-naturalist pictorial strand, linked to the Central European tradition of the Alpine landscape. His works are part of the current of painters of the time who exalted the grandeur and spirituality of nature, favouring subjects such as mountain peaks, valleys, and high-altitude atmospheres.