Last but not least, Roman Signer (b. 1938), decidedly not a painter, has found an ingenious way to add his own version of a lake vista to his oeuvre, with the site-specific and permanent installation Seesicht (2015). Placed prominently on the lakeside promenade in Zug, the steel sculpture consists of a staircase leading well below the water level and offering an unfamiliar view of the lake through a large window. Depending on the time of day, one might see fish swimming close by, or rays of sunlight penetrating the water surface above. This artistic natural observatory is in keeping with the artist’s core interest in physical elements in motion. To Signer, the lake is less something to be looked at, but rather a force of nature to be experienced.
It is curious to think about how the lakes of Switzerland have triggered different artistic responses. Seen through the eyes of these artists, the lake might be a magical subject, a sentient counterpart, a portal, a stylistic device, or a source of restoration. If you have ever spent a day at a lake, observing the changing light and weather, you might have your own notion to add, and let me be the first to tell you that you, too, are right.
