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Artists from A-Z Martin Christ

1900–1979
  • Krankes Mädchen (1952)
    Krankes Mädchen
    Artist: Martin Christ Dating: 1952 Type: Work on paper Material: India ink on paper Measures: 63,2 x 47,5 cm Acces / purchase date: 1954 Inventory number: 0094 Copyright: © Nachlass Martin Christ; Fotos: Christian Baur, Basel
  • Vorfrühling am Gerzensee (1944)
    Vorfrühling am Gerzensee
    Artist: Martin Christ Dating: 1944 Type: Painting Material: Oil on canvas Measures: 59,5 x 90,5 cm Acces / purchase date: 1946 Inventory number: 0093 Copyright: © Nachlass Martin Christ; Fotos: Christian Baur, Basel
Three themes dominate Christ's work: landscape, figures and portraits. An essential feature of his flatly painted landscapes is the depiction of light, which seems to emanate from within them. Depth is often created by sloping lines that lead into the picture. Similar to Emil Nolde, Christ paints large-format landscape details, garden scenes and portrait-like depictions of trees; he is particularly fascinated by the spectacle of nature in bloom. His Rhine paintings and pictures of bathers show Christ to be a master at depicting the movement of water and the play of light. In his figure paintings (mostly single figures), the surrounding space (interior or open air) determines the effect; typical of Christ is the figure as a mediator between two spaces, between inside and outside. In addition to a few self-portraits and depictions that dispense with everything superfluous, Christ creates portraits that characterise people by narratively incorporating their environment. He also produces carnival depictions (mainly lithographs) and, during the Second World War, motifs of soldiers. Christ designs various murals.

Denise Vosseler: «Martin Christ». In: SIKART Lexikon zur Kunst in der Schweiz, 2016 (erstmals publiziert 1998).