Hans Aeschbacher – Figur II (1970)
A powerful granite sculpture that grows from within into the surrounding space, entering into a quiet dialogue with architecture, its environment, and the human form.
About the artwork
Key facts
Hans Aeschbacher
Figur II, 1970
Granite, height: 375 cm
Swiss Post Branch, 5012 Schönenwerd
Description of the artwork
Installed on a small landscaped island to the left of the Schönenwerd post office entrance is a sculpture made of granite. It is surrounded by five cypress trees, which take up the openwork sculpture’s tall, vertical form. The Haus zum Felsgarten with the Bally Shoe Museum are direct neighbours, with fashion outlet advertising banners visible in the distance. Hans Aeschbacher’s work Figur II (Figure II) from 1970 takes its place in an unpretentious setting.
About the person
Hans Aeschbacher
Hans Aeschbacher (1906, Zurich–1980, Uster) was an influential sculptor of his time. His works were featured at prestigious exhibitions such as the Venice Art Biennale and the documenta in Kassel. In the 1950s, he nevertheless advocated the unfashionable view that sculpture penetrates “from within the substance into the space” – meaning he sought to reveal the forms inherent in his materials, such as stone. Although he initially made more figurative works, the human figure gradually receded from his sculptures, which increasingly took the appearance of steles, rising vertically in the space. The sculpture Figur II is made of granite and counts among Aeschbacher’s late works. At the time, he was drawn to Concrete Art and the ideas put forth by its proponent Max Bill in Zurich.
From the 1960s onwards, Aeschbacher received numerous commissions for public sculptures in Zurich and Bern as well as abroad. Because his abstract sculptures originate in the human figure and seek a relationship to architecture, they engage in a stimulating dialogue with their surroundings. The work Figur II was not explicitly developed for the site in Schönenwerd; in the 1970s, the sculpture was installed outside the post office building in Elgg. (JI)
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