Rail Magic: 1949

“By choosing the motive of the steam engine, Groebli intuitively captured the crucial symbol of his time.“

René Groebli’s 1949 photo essay Magie der Schiene (Rail Magic) is not a reportage; it is an attempt to depict an inner experience, which testifies to the artist’s early affinity with subjective photography. 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 trains – the steam, noise, and motion – transforming these elements into a deeply emotional experience. His work stands in stark contrast to the objective documentation promoted by Neue Sachlichkeit; instead, it emphasizes personal expression and the intensity of movement. With this approach, Groebli was clearly ahead of his time, offering a departure from the cool realism that dominated the post-war photography at the time.