211 / 219
The woodcuts by the Swiss artist Franz Gertsch are unique within contemporary print-making. He com-
bines in his print-making oeuvre a quality of monumentality with photo-realism and monochrome tone,
and yet creates a new reality.
The large format woodcuts engender monumentality not just with their scale: the choice of motif and the
details depicted lend monumentality even to the artist’s small format works. The viewer becomes lost in
the precise and meticulous stipple-like grid, which cover his woodcuts. The monochrome tone prevents
any kind of distraction, and instead draws one’s focus even deeper into the motif. The different colour va-
riants introduce a painterly aspect to the work after the “technical” process of the woodcut.
Although based on photographs, the artist succeeds in disassociating the motif from reality: by means of
the highly intricate technique and themonochrome tone, the familiar motifs are altered in such a way that
the viewer has a new visual experience.
3750
| 99