Nunzio Vayana (Italian/American, 1878-1960) California Landscape

Oil on canvas. Signed 'N. Vayana' (lower right).

30 x 36 in.

Provenance
Property of The Strong, sold to benefit the Museum's collections fund.

Nunzio Vayana (Italian/American, 1878-1960)
Nunzio Vayana was an artist showing his talents in tree landscape paintings, marine paintings, camouflage art, and illustration. He practiced where he lived and traveled including Italy, Florida, and Maine.
It is not widely known that Vayana was involved in the development of camouflage during World War I. Beginning in May 1918, while living and teaching near South Glastonbury CT, he worked with two other artists, Albertus Jones and James Goodwin McManus, and with students in a sketching class to apply paint in such a way as to “conceal something by making it look like nothing.” They claimed that this was better than the commonly practiced alternative of making something appear to look like something else. They announced that they were “willing to enter the service of the government to demonstrate the worth of their theory in any way it can be worked out.”

No in-paint or restoration.