Emil Zbinden's work consists mainly of drawings and woodcuts.
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The artist achieved great fame through his illustrations of the works of Jeremias Gotthelf and C. A. Loosli, both important swiss writers. He mainly created black and white works on the themes of landscape and people in the Emmental as well as workers and industry. Zbinden also left behind an important amount of painted works.
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Credits: Paul Senn, FFV, Kunstmuseum Bern, Dep. GKS. © GKS
![Schön ist das Leben [...]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a8abc5_60233944ada04128b844f058c6fc682f~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_841,h_1321,al_c,q_85,enc_auto/a8abc5_60233944ada04128b844f058c6fc682f~mv2.jpg)
1929, linocut, WVZ 16
1934, wood engraving, WVZ 38
1986, wood engraving, WVZ 212
1929, linocut, WVZ 16
1930, pencil, charcoal, chalk and watercolour on paper, LNR 837
1930, watercolour and pencil on cardboard, LNR 20
1982, chalk on paper, LNR 336B
1930, pencil, charcoal, chalk and watercolour on paper, LNR 837
1934, tempera and chalk on pencil on paper, LNR 476C
1944, wax tempera and ink on paper on Pavatex, LNR 67
1972, watercolour and ballpoint pen on paper, LNR 208
1934, tempera and chalk on pencil on paper, LNR 476C
”Today we dare to use colours, even the pure colours.
​That didn't exist before, when I was growing up. This is a real achievement. Many were involved. Paul Gaugin and, above all, Vincent van Gogh. And that is why, I think, he is now held in such high esteem.
​But to always show the pure colour also has its limits. You can't always just paint spots of colour ...
​There is still man; and the world; and everything else that happens outside. All these motifs can be left out in painting for a while, but they still remain there.
​You can't just repeat spots of colour forever.
So something new will have to come. I can't predict what it will be.”