The painting titled Huaa...! marked a shift in 1969 when the artist depicted a nineteenth-century cavalryman at the precise moment of being struck by a bullet. This work served as the foundation for a career defined by large-format photorealist compositions and intricate woodcut techniques that bridged the gap between photographic documentation and abstract spatial representation.
Artistic Foundations and Rise
Born in Mörigen in 1930, Franz Gertsch underwent his formal artistic training between 1947 and 1952 in Bern under the guidance of Max von Mühlenen and Hans Schwarzenbach. His early career gained significant momentum following his participation in documenta 5 in 1972, where he exhibited the painting Medici. Throughout the 1970s, he emerged as a chronicler of Swiss counterculture, producing situation portraits that captured friends and associates preparing for social events.
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Gertsch utilized his own documentary-style photographs as the primary source material for his paintings, focusing on tight framing and realistic detail. Between 1978 and 1979, he produced five notable portraits of rock musician Patti Smith, which exemplified his capacity to monumentalize the photographic instant. These works aligned him with international figures such as Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, and Chuck Close, yet he remained distinct from the ironic motifs typical of the broader Pop art movement.
Mastery of the Woodcut
In 1986, the artist shifted his primary focus toward the woodcut printmaking technique, a medium he pursued for decades to explore the relationship between color and three-dimensional space. This rigorous process involved importing specific mineral pigments from Japan and testing hand-made papers to ensure precise color transfer. Between 1976 and 2013, he completed 28 paintings and 15 monochrome woodcuts, often dedicating up to a full year to the creation of a single composition.
Institutional Recognition
The artist established the Museum Franz Gertsch in Burgdorf in 2002 to house and exhibit his work. In 2019, on his birthday, an expansion of this museum was inaugurated by Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga. His career was marked by exhibitions at venues including the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1990 and multiple appearances at the Venice Biennale. He died in Riggisberg on 21 December 2022 at the age of 92.
Fast facts
- Born: 1930, Mörigen
- Died: 21 December 2022, Riggisberg
- Citizenship: Switzerland
- Occupations: Painter, photographer, xylographer, printmaker
- Movement: Hyperrealism
- Notable Works: Huaa...!, Patti Smith series, Gräser series
- Key Museum: Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf
Questions readers ask
What inspired the artist's early realist paintings?
His early works were based on his own documentary-style snapshots and film stills, including the 1969 painting Huaa...!
How did his woodcut process differ from traditional methods?
He pioneered new territory by mixing binder with imported Japanese mineral pigments and dedicating extensive time to the testing of hand-made Japan paper to define the relationship between color and space.
Achievements
- Notable work: Huaa...!
- Movement: hyperrealism
