The rock spires of the Pala group emerging from the clouds above San Martino di Castrozza
The telephoto frame places the rock spires in the lower left third of the image and leaves the rest of the field to the cloud mass. The group of towers in the foreground stands out in full, while towards the right further elevations appear only partially, increasingly softened by the vapour. There is no horizon line and no element to give scale: depth comes solely from the progressive loss of contrast. The subject is the phenomenon rather than the relief. Clouds of this kind form when moist air is forced up the wall and, cooling with altitude, condenses at a level determined by the temperature and humidity of the air mass: the cover stays anchored to the mountain and follows its profile instead of passing over it. On unstable days this condition uncovers and covers the peaks within minutes, and the spires of the Pala group, slender and isolated, are alternately revealed and erased. Light passes through the openings in the cloud and reaches the rock from the right, returning its warm tones against the grey and blue of the vapour. Ledges and fissures hold a film of recent, uncompacted snow that traces the bedding of the rock and separates the horizontal planes from the vertical faces. At the top right a portion of clear sky remains visible between the clouds.
