Poster, Bergluft macht schlank,

1969

Philipp Giegel (1927–1997) took Hans Finsler’s photography course at the Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich (School of Arts and Crafts), subsequently working as the in-house photographer at the Schweizerische Verkehrszentrale from 1949 to 1992. During the years of the Geistige Landesverteidigung (spiritual national defense), traditional landscape painting was en vogue in tourism advertising. Beginning in 1950, however, photography became increasingly common.
With his original photographs, which traveled the world in the form of posters, brochures, and calendars, Giegel made a key contribution to modernizing Switzerland’s image. His works stand out for their idiosyncratic imagery, a poetic sense of humor, and sophisticated composition. In this poster, he reworked the snapshot in his studio to elongate the shadowy forms of the alpine herdsman and his dog with hikers following behind them. The figures, reminiscent of Giacometti sculptures, humorously underline the memorable slogan. (Bettina Richter)