Artworks
Ignaz Epper is one of the leading exponents of Swiss Expressionism. His fame is primarily based on his graphic artworks, in particular on wood engravings created in the 1910s and ‘20s. These early works – namely wood engravings and some black and coloured chalk drawings – are imbued with a pessimistic world view.
Whether they focus on religion, metropolises, horses, or the industrial landscape, all express violence and suffering. At the very heart of Epper’s interests, however, was the human figure, for which he developed a life-long fascination.
Nude Mischa Epper - 1921
Black gesso
Railway tunnel – 1918
Oil on canvas
Self-portrait – 1925
Wood engraving
Monologo del Padre - 1917
Wood engraving
Young adolescent ballerina
Bronze
Le pettegole - 1924
Graphite on paperMischa Epper | Artworks
Although less well known, unlike her husband, Mischa Epper did not engage with the ideals of expressionism. Following in the footsteps of Maillol and Despiau, her drawings and sculptures are imbued with a sense of classicism. Her many portraits and plaster and clay figures demonstrate just how carefully she observed the traits and psychological profiles of her subjects.
The influence of the psychologist C. G. Jung is recognisable in many of her drawings, who had a long spiritual relationship with the Eppers.
Mischa Epper is known for her sketches and for making puppets for the “Marionettentheater” in Ascona, which was well known from 1937 to 1960.
