Fanes in Figurative Arts

Almost all figurative works inspired by the Fanes, as far as I have been able to retrieve for now, can be divided into two groups: either frescoes or decorative panels on the walls of the pizzerias or beauty-farms that exploit a character's name from the Fanes' saga, or the illustrations of the several books or booklets that narrate the story. Both groups include anyway works of art worthy of some praise. Only very few artists, who followed their independent inspiration, make an exception to this rule. Specially in this field, however, my search has yet to be developped.

The Wolff Brothers' unpublished work

In K.F.Wolff's biography, edited by R. Infelise Fronza and added to the latest Italian editions of his works, we can read that his brother Richard was a good painter. Both brothers prepared together an illustrated edition of the Dolomitensagen, that remained unpublished however. Several photos of Richard Wolff's tables should still be available at the "Brenner" Archives at Innsbruck.

Istitutions or places of commerce that are enriched by figurative works of art inspired by the Fanes or other Ladinian legends:

- rifugio Fanes (Fanes Hut): you can see there a sequence of naïf panels, the work of a former waiter from Caorle, and several woodcarvings, including a sort sort of hollow "Trajan Column", illustrating several episodes of the legend.

- Istitut Ladin "Majon di Fashegn" at Vigo di Fassa: decorated by frescoes by Milo Manara, depicting four classical feminine characters of Dolomitic legends;

- Several shops in the Badia, Pusteria and Marebbe valleys, a list of which I shall try to write down later on;

-- The inn Ciasa Moltina, at San Vigilio di Marebbe, has on one of its outer walls the fresco of a girl (Moltina) talking to marmots: the kind indication comes from Christian Crepaz.

- The Museo Ladino at San Martin de Tor displays some wooden female busts (Dolasilla, Moltina etc.), whose Author is still unknown to me. The kind informer is Daniela Toschi.

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Literary works containing artistical illustrations:

- Der Fanneslied, by Karl Staudacher (Tyrolia 1994): is illustrated by several engravings by A. Morlang, as well as by the reproduction of works by A.Frenes, A.Rott, M. Valazza.

- Fanes da Zacan, by Angel Morlang (Istitut ladin "Micurá de Rü, San Martin de Tor 1978): is illustrated by a few paintings by the same Author;

- Il regno dei Fanes, by Brunamaria Dal Lago, (Mondadori 1989) is illustrated by Markus Vallazza;.

- The Ladies from Fanis, by Anita Pichler (Haymon 1992) is also illustrated by original drawings by Markus Valazza;

- Il regno dei Fanes, by Brunamaria Dal Lago Veneri, in its new edition (Giunti 2008) is illustrated by Fabio Visintin's carefully documented images.

Artists who freely inspired themselves to the Fanes:

Federico Cosmi : has devoted to the Fanes a really interesting sequence of wood sculptures;

Pietro Archis : developped the whole Fanes' saga into a rich sequence of paintings, on wood or similar materials..

Luisa Rota Sperti: a paintress, who lives at the foot of the Grigne and has a special feeling for the themes of the mountains, produced a sequence of drawings dealing with Wolff's legends (Ai confini del cielo) [At the borders of the Sky]; several of them (still under work) are devoted to the Fanes.