IV. Ode to the Alps
The Alpine landscape is an unmistakable feature of Switzerland and is therefore also one of Swiss art’s central subjects. It was not until the 18th century, during the Age of Enlightenment and Romanticism, that artists ventured into the inhospitable high mountains while accompanying naturalists, producing precise depictions of peaks, glaciers, and mountain lakes. Among them was Caspar Wolf, who today is regarded as one of the pioneers of Swiss landscape painting.
As a result of scientific exploration and the rise of tourism, the Alps gradually underwent a reinterpretation, being transformed from a fearsome obstacle into a haven of unspoilt nature, harmony and democracy. Such perceptions informed by national identity went on to fuel tourism. Depictions of the Alpine region and its people subsequently gained importance and increasingly developed into a specialised branch of printmaking and landscape painting, and which also served the demand for souvenirs. For example, in the paintings of Franz Niklaus König, the imagery focuses on generic scenes incorporating shepherds, mountain huts and hikers, stylising the Alpine region as an idyllic haven.
During the 19th century, artists such as Gottfried Steffan and Alexandre Calame favoured more romantically heroic motifs. They celebrated the majesty of the Alps in dramatic scenes involving atmospheric thunderstorms and the effects of light. Such imagery focused on the enormous forces of nature, while humans appeared, at most, as insignificant accessories. During the Modern era, Alpine painting underwent further development through approaches favouring formal simplification. Ferdinand Hodler, in particular, is considered an innovator of the genre.