Category: Switzerland
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Stately beauty
Stately beauty Sculpture of a woman in a large empty space. All attention is drawn to her naked figure. A truly moving image. Giacometti has put her on a pedestal in the form of a chariot, which creates a strange tension. She is on view but doesn’t look a fool. On the contrary: straight and…
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Majestic distinction
Majestic distinction The pose of Diego, in spite of his loose-fitting sweater, is of majestic distinction. This is how Alberto has portrayed his brother, in his own unique style. Many of Giacometti’s sculptured figures, his thin ones too, show this characteristic distinction. It reflects the respectful, humane way Giacometti saw and approached his models. Photo…
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The artist at work
The artist at work On the picture by Ernst Scheidegger in the back we see Giacometti at work in his studio, surrounded by his sculptures. And on my picture you see Giacometti’s picture in turn surrounded by one of his sculptures and its reflections, creating layers of representation. Photo of the week: Alberto Giacometti, Bust…
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Alberto paints Annette
Alberto paints Annette The fact that the artist (Alberto Giacometti) paints a picture of his wife on this photo by Ernst Scheidegger is nothing special. She was his favourite female model. Still it gives the scene a touch of intimacy, a feeling that is intensified by the incident light in the otherwise dark wooden atmosphere…
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Kunsthaus window
Kunsthaus window When taking in and digesting art works in a museum there is always a moment that I pass a window and look through it at the world outside with an art-infused eye. This time it happened in the Kunsthaus in Zürich. It was winter and it had snowed a bit. Photo of the…
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Piet Mondria(a)n
Piet Mondria(a)n Mondria(a)n belongs to the canon of modern art. In the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam I saw the two top paintings exposed, in the Kunsthaus in Zürich the two bottom ones. The resemblance in choice of the two museums is striking. Mondria(a)n’s abstract work has become so commonplace and has been violated to such…
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Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh Two peasant women work the land with dedication, bent over in unison. With their postures and central position they energize the painting. That was at least what I felt when seeing it in the Kunsthaus in Zürich. The devotion of the peasant women is matched by each of Van Gogh’s vibrant brushstrokes.…
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Kijken Zien Schilderen
Kijken Zien Schilderen To Look See Paint Looking is what we do all the time, at the other, at the world around us. When we look with attentive concentration we start seeing the other, the world, in full consciousness. That’s what Dutch painters in the 17th century were good at and were perfecting ever more…
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Not any window
Not any window Standing still near a window behind which you’ve spent part of your life. That’s what I’m doing here, in the garden of the oldest house of Vandoeuvres. It’s the small window of the outhouse on the right, between the two trees. It evokes memories of ten happy years with my companion and…
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Landesmuseum extension
Landesmuseum extension When extending an existing historical building with a new wing you can try to remain close to the style of the original or decide on a contrasting modern design. Christ & Gantenbein have chosen the last option for the new wing (2016) of the Swiss National Museum in Zürich. Fortunately, I would say,…
καιρός remembered 