#569
René Groebli
Rail Magic/Magie der Schiene (#569), 1949
Baryta print (gelatin silver print)
Sheet: 40 x 30 cm, picture: 36 x 27 cm
Signed, dated and numbered in pencil by the artist verso
Stamped by the artist verso: Personally printed and selenium toned for stability on new Seagull Select
Printed in 2004
Stamped by the artist verso: Personally printed and selenium toned for stability on new Seagull Select
Printed in 2004
Edition of 7 plus 2 artist's proofs
©René Groebli
René Groebli’s 1949 photo essay Magie der Schiene (Rail Magic) is not a reportage; it is the depiction of a subjective experience. Photographed in and around Paris, as well as...
René Groebli’s 1949 photo essay Magie der Schiene (Rail Magic) is not a reportage; it is the depiction of a subjective experience. Photographed in and around Paris, as well as during a journey on a steam engine from Basel to Paris, the images capture Groebli's fascination with the dynamic forces of the train. His work stands in stark contrast to the objective documentation promoted by Neue Sachlichkeit; instead, it emphasizes personal expression and the intensity of movement, thereby offering a departure from the cool realism that dominated the post-war photography at the time.