Night-time landscape near Unterengstringen 1955

Curator: The surface of Max Gubler’s “Night-time landscape near Unterengstringen,” from 1955, appears heavily worked with oil paint. You can see the thick impasto layers almost sculpted across the canvas. Editor: My first impression is a somewhat unsettling serenity. The heavy textures feel very tangible, earthy even, juxtaposed with a dreamlike skyline dominated by these unreal celestial bodies. Curator: He often revisited this location. The Unterengstringen area was important for him as his family moved there when he was recovering from being severely wounded in WWI. It became his retreat and creative birthplace. I am interested in this area between Zurich and Dietikon and Gubler's place within that geography and his relationship with art galleries nearby in Zurich. Editor: The way the brushstrokes define form suggests an expressionistic leaning. Observe the application—short, directional strokes building into layers of textured fields, punctuated by areas of seemingly raw, unblended pigment. One might examine how Gubler blends this into scenes and if others painters from Zurich were blending in a similar manner or following some process to do so. Curator: Indeed. His involvement with the avant-garde groups Rot-Blau and subsequently Gruppe 33 in Basel reflects that period's art world leaning towards these approaches. Also interesting is considering this location within a time when, post-war, many desired solace from industrial advances; he has instead painted them with his impasto touch. Editor: Thinking about how Gubler manipulates this impasto application connects directly with my own interpretation. Those globs of paint aren’t just representation; they embody a haptic quality. Are we invited, almost challenged, to reconcile the rough materiality with this calm observation? Curator: It challenges any straightforward narrative, really. Thank you for unpacking the scene in this context. Editor: My pleasure! It shows the beauty and power of this artwork to take from both social environment and process.