René Odermatt

René Odermatt learned traditional wood sculpture in Brienz and combines sculpture and the technique of carving in his works. Wood is the most important working material for Odermatt. Hard woods such as walnut or oak allow the artist to precisely carve out his sculptures. An omnipresent fascination for craftsmanship reveals itself quite naturally in his work.
The book provides an overview of his woodwork from 1997 to 2013, including the work groups Chippendales (carpet beaters), Forios (panels with ornamental motifs), and Portraits (reproductions of rootstocks and other branches).

In these works, one gets a sense of carving’s contemplative dimension; the meditative quality of a lengthy process in which a pictorial reality emerges from the imagination through an intuitive approach.