wiedler.ch

book (design) story #560

georg schmidt:
photo 49

maurice collet, editeur, genève, 1949
printer: imprimerie nouvelle ch. corbaz s.a., monterux
size: 31 x 25 cm
designer: hermann eidenbenz

this 1949 special issue of the magazine "publicité et art graphiques / werbung und graphische kunst / advertising and graphic art" was devoted to contemporary swiss photography. all texts are in french, german and english. the cover is signed "eidenbenz", ...

... referring to basel-based graphic designer hermann eidenbenz (1902-1993) who is also credited for the magazine's typography.

photographers hans finsler (1891-1972) and hugo p. herdeg (1909-1952) were members of the selection committee and also contributed some photos.

the introductory text with the title "where do we stand?" by basel art historian and museum man georg schmidt (1896-1965) is remarkable in critisising the "swiss style" for often being too "smug" to be "true". i quote the last few paragraphs:

the "new photography" contains an element which is at the same time very swiss: objectivity, an understanding of the objective rather than the human side of things, a love of light, purity and visibility, a love of technicalities and of technical precision, approval of everything useful and purposeful.

there are other sides, though, to "new photography" – an eminently photographic desire to unearth hidden beauties and unpleasentness, to reveal forbidden truths, a photographic hankering after the anxiety as much as after the poetry of twilight – all these desires arouse the strongest antipathy in the average swiss mentality, and set up the most violent stresses and strains.

the swiss form of "new photography" has even succeeded in moulding photography, that exemplary weapon of truth itself, into a shield with which to hide the truth, into an instrument for making things seem more beautiful than they are, and the most objective methods are employed to this end. it almost makes you want to shout "thank heaven switzerland's not really so free of problems. not even switzerland is so confoundedly smug as she has portrayed herself in this volume."

to close on a more friendly note, the surprisingly united spirit and the undisputedly high standard of modern photography in switzerland spring from the fact that it is enough to win over the few most important swiss educational centres to a certain school of thought in order to ensure that a whole generation is modelled in a united spirit.

i believe, then, that it is permissible to speak of a specifically swiss style of "new photography" amongst the chorus of many countries. but every style is a prison as well as a framework for the intellectual.

here some works by hans finsler (above) and rené groebli (below).

the ad section includes impressive examples: ...

... this big ad for the stereotype plate company schwitter is signed "eidenbenz", too.