Many Happy Returns, René Groebli!

Groebli's very first photo essay Magic of the Tracks, raised the benchmark in 1949. Using a unique, subjective and poetic imagery, he draws together his experiences of a train ride – the dynamics, speed, smoke, tracks and landscapes. It is no coincidence that this series has cinematic qualities, as he completed training as a documentary cameraman after his studies of Photography with Hans Finsler at the Zurich School of Applied Arts. But it is his perhaps most famous series, The Eye of Love, created during his belated honeymoon with his wife Rita in 1953, that is one of the photographer's most subtle and, at the time, scandalous projects. Following a couple of years as a reportage photographer, Groebli established his own studio for commercial and industrial photography in the mid fifties. He specialised in colour photography, and, in addition to commissioned work, repeatedly found time for exciting, experimental pictures, so that, already back 1957, the American magazine Color Annual honoured him as a Master of Color. And, of course, he is a Master of the Leica, and so we are delighted to present this film portrait by the Swiss photographer, Ulka Chauhan, that was made last year, and that offers wonderful insight into the life and oeuvre of René Groebli.

LFI: How did you meet René Groebli?
Ulka Chauhan: As a co-editor of the swissstreetcollective blog, I'd been looking to interview Swiss photographers whose work I admire. And René Groebli was at the top of my list. I've been a huge fan of his ever since I discovered his book, The Magic Eye. Having met him, I felt strongly that I couldn’t do justice to his work with a written interview alone. That was when the idea of a video portrait came about. I visited him a few times at his home in Zürich over the summer, before filming it in September, 2021.

Which of René's works fascinate you in particular?
I like the quiet and poetic eloquence of all of René’s works, which are frozen in time and move powerfully through it. In particular, his classic black and white images with purposeful grain, his trendy yet timeless op and pop art-inspired colour work, and his very intimate Eye of Love series from his honeymoon.

Do you see any connections to your own work?
There is vast gap between us in terms of time and space – René, with his internationally renowned career spanning over 6 decades of creating pioneering work, and I, who am relatively new to the medium, chronicling life between the two worlds of Mumbai and Zürich. His work is a tremendous source of inspiration for me.

Find out more about René Groebli on his website.