Angelo Abrate ( 1900 - 1985 )

The Lac de Goillet and the Matterhorn, Val d’Aosta, Italy


The Lac de Goillet and the Matterhorn, Val d’Aosta, Italy


oil on panel
34 x 44cm.
signed
 

As with Abrate’s Lago di Chécrouit picture, he managed to expertly capture the sense of breeze and light falling in and out of shadow in this souvenir from the Lac de Goillet. In a masterful portrayal of a late spring day, the lake is smoothly rendered and the water seems relatively calm. However, the fluffy clouds and squiggly lines across the snout of the glacier, all suggest a rapidly executed painting. Whilst the foreground and smaller mountain beyond the lake are in shadow, the Matterhorn catches the midday sun which intensifies its majestic profile. Using the orange-coloured priming to its full effect, Abrate’s high mountain sky also conveys a period of stable and high-pressure weather.

Angelo Abrate