Josef Kostner
Josef Kostner was an Italian sculptor, designer and poet. After 1960 he taught at the School of Art in Selva. To distance himself from the traditional crafts of Val Gardena, he chose to work with concrete. This material allowed him to feel more free and to pursue his full artistic vision. In his early years as an artist, he mainly studied shapes within nature. As time went by, his sculptures became simpler, with cleaner lines. It was only at a later stage that his interest in people and searching deep into the soul and emotions developed. The misfortunes and experiences during his impoverished youth and the transition to modern-day prosperity are some of the themes dealt with in his poems. These are short, powerful poems that have the ability to communicate a lot in a few words. His research in toponymy in S. Cristina and Selva is of great value.
