Bellevue

Swiss painter Robert Zünd (1827-1909), also known in Switzerland as ‘Master of the Beech Leaf’, is revered for his light-flooded paintings of bucolic landscapes. Swiss photographer Tobias Madörin, born 1965, has gained international recognition for his tableau-like images that document the interaction between the inhabitants and their surrounding environment. This new book, published to coincide with an exhibition at Kunstmuseum Luzern in summer 2017, features work by both artists. Rather than merely enjoying the beauty of the sun-lit paradise Zünd depicts in his precise manner, the book invites us to look more closely. For this purpose, Zünd’s paintings are juxtaposed with Madörin’s photographs of the same views, captured today with an analogue large format camera. Thanks to the slowness of the procedure and the wealth of detail achieved in working with such an apparatus, Madörin’s photographs boast an intensity comparable to that of Zünd’s paintings in terms of precision of the gaze. Observation, the gaze, and the aptitude to see is the real topic of this exhibition and accompanying book. Bellevue: Robert Zünd (1827 1909) – Tobias Madörin (*1965), Kunstmuseum Luzern, 1 July to 17 October 2017. Text in English and German.