Angelo Abrate

To get this view across the Talèfre Glacier on the eastern flank of the Mont Blanc massif, Abrate would have been up at about 2,800 metres. As well as noting the location, the painter’s inscription on the back of the panel records the time of year as spring. The strong shadows from the peaks and the glare from the glaciers would suggest Abrate was working under a midday sun. Looking from left to right, one sees the Aiguille de Savoie with a thick cornice below the summit, the Aiguilles de Talèfre, de l’Eboulement and beginning of the north ridge of the Aiguille de Leschaux- a first ascent for him in 1923.