Who painted Obwaldner Landsgemeinde [zweites Bild, Mitte links]?

Obwaldner Landsgemeinde [zweites Bild, Mitte links] was painted by Albert Welti in 1911.

Where can I see Obwaldner Landsgemeinde [zweites Bild, Mitte links]?

Obwaldner Landsgemeinde [zweites Bild, Mitte links] is held by Kunsthaus Zürich.

What movement is Obwaldner Landsgemeinde [zweites Bild, Mitte links]?

Obwaldner Landsgemeinde [zweites Bild, Mitte links] is associated with Symbolism.

Artwork

Obwaldner Landsgemeinde [zweites Bild, Mitte links]

Albert Welti , 1911

Obwaldner Landsgemeinde [zweites Bild, Mitte links] is an unspecified painting by the Symbolist artist Albert Welti. It dates from 1911 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.

About this work

Overview

Albert Welti’s 1911 canvas Obwaldner Landsgemeinde (second picture, centre‑left) presents a gathering of figures in a forest clearing. The composition centers on a tree, surrounded by a crowd in historic dress, some with hats, sticks or bags, against a distant horizon of hills and mountains. A man in a vivid red coat holds a staff and looks upward, drawing the attention of the onlookers.

Subject & Meaning

The work depicts a communal assembly, evoking the traditional Swiss Landsgemeinde, a public meeting of citizens. Welti’s focus on the red‑coated figure and the collective gaze toward the tree suggests a symbolic inquiry into authority, tradition, and collective consciousness, themes recurrent in his explorations of dream‑like and psychological states.

Technique & Style

Executed in a Symbolist idiom, the painting combines detailed rendering of period costume with a muted, atmospheric palette, punctuated by the striking red of the central figure. Welti’s brushwork balances precise figuration with a slightly softened landscape, reinforcing the ambiguous, almost mythic quality characteristic of his allegorical approach.

History & Provenance

Created in the early twentieth century, the piece entered the holdings of the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remains part of the museum’s collection of Swiss modern art. Its acquisition reflects the institution’s commitment to preserving works that illustrate the symbolic and psychological currents in Swiss painting of the period.