Hans Eichenberger (1920-1988), The Revelation, C. 1960

Hans Eichenberger (1920 Kölliken - 1988 Aarau), The Revelation, around 1960. Charcoal drawing with India ink on handmade drawing card, 23 cm x 27 cm (depiction), 27 cm x 40 cm (sheet size), signed “Eichenberger” lower left, drawing card with dry stamp “SHIL - Depose Superbus”.

- Drawing card in the lower left area with loss outside the depiction, upper corner somewhat bumped, occasionally slightly wavy, drawing in good condition with strong colors.

- Poignant emotion -

A group of people looking up are moved by what is depicted above them. The man on the far left pauses with his hands folded as if in prayer, while the woman next to him walks toward the revelation with her arms outstretched. The people behind them are also in a state of astonished wonder. Behind them, the background of the picture contracts into a black space, so that they seem to be walking towards the light as they receive the revelation.

Hans Eichenberger succeeds in depicting a revelation in a confident and expressive style, solely through the emotion of those present, so that the viewer is also moved, even if the revelation remains hidden from him.

About the artist

After training as a graphic artist at the Lucerne School of Art and Design from 1940 to 1945, Hans Eigenberger worked as a freelance artist. He earned his living mainly by producing posters for companies, associations, and the local community. In 1948, he spent another year studying at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. From 1950 to 1952, he made study trips to France and Italy, and later to Spain and Holland. He became increasingly involved in the theater, designing posters and painting sets. However, he found his true artistic calling in free painting.