Franz Gertsch. Rü­scheg­ger earth

Franz Gertsch painted the five large-format paintings of his blue phase (2019–21) with real ultramarine blue pigment, which is obtained from the lapis lazuli semi-precious stone mined in Afghanistan. It is a late work in which the motifs that have been familiar for decades, grasses, butterbur and forest landscapes, are bathed in a color tone, blue. The artist allowed himself to completely immerse himself in an intense, ultramarine-blue phase. However, he was always interested in questioning and developing his work.

The painting “Sea II” (2021/22) was created directly after the paintings from the blue phase and is also made with real ultramarine blue. In this painting, however, the artist also used blue and gray watercolor pencils and used the warm white of the unprimed cotton as a design tool.

Two subsequent paintings are now experiencing their world premiere in the Franz Gertsch Museum: “Cima del Mar” and “Schwarzwasser” (both from 2022). The artist's last two completed paintings show motifs known from woodcuts, which were translated into painting for the first time. The brown color used in both works consists of a pigment made for Franz Gertsch from the earth where he lived and worked in Rüschegg.

There are also other paintings and woodcuts on display, especially in the area of landscapes, such as the Schwarzwasser woodcuts (1991–95), the seasonal paintings (2007–11) and “Butterbur” (2015).

The exhibition was curated by Anna Wesle.

Source:thurgaukultur.ch - the culture portal for Thurgau, with dates, topics and people to talk about.