JOHANN LUDWIG ABERLI (1723-1786)
Der Niesen (2, 362m - 7,749ft)
Switzerland
In Vue du Chateau de Wimmis et du Niesen, engraving c.1783
The mountain
The Niesen (2, 362m - 7,749ft) is a mountain of the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It overlooks Lake Thun, in the Bernese Oberland region, and forms the northern end of a ridge that stretches north from the Albristhorn and Mannliflue, separating the Simmental and Kandertal valleys. The literal translation of the German word "Niesen" is "sneeze", but the Niesen because of its shape, is often called The Swiss Pyramid. Administratively, the summit is shared between the municipalities of Reichenbach im Kandertal, to the south-east, and Wimmis, to the west and north. Both municipalities are in the canton of Bern. The summit of the mountain can be reached easily by using the Niesenbahn funicular from Mülenen (near Reichenbach). The construction of the funicular was completed in 1910. Alongside the path of the Niesenbahn is the longest stairway in the world with 11,674 steps. It is open only once a year to the public for a stair run.
The literal translation of the German word Niesen is sneeze. Because of its shape, the Niesen is often called the Swiss Pyramid. Since the 18th century, the Niesen was the subject of a number of paintings which will all be published in this blog, one by one. TheFerdinand Holder's paintings are the two first ones to have been published. The Niesen was also the subject of a number of paintings by Paul Klee, in which it was represented as a quasi-pyramid.
The painter
Johann Ludwig Aberli was a Swiss painter and etcher. Aberli was born in Winterthur. He is primarily known for his landscapes of Switzerland, first etched in contours then painted or colorized. This style is later to be known as the Aberli manner and found many imitators, such as Heinrich Rieter Senior, Franz Niklaus König or Johann Jakob Bidermann. He trained Samuel Hieronymus Grimm. and John Webber. He is said to have trained with J. Erim in Bern. He died in Bern, aged 53.
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2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau
