Mathias Gabriel Lory, often referred to as Gabriel Lory le fils (the son) to distinguish him from his equally talented father, stands as a pivotal figure in Swiss art history. Born in 1784 and active until his death in 1846, he was a prolific landscape painter, engraver, watercolourist, and illustrator whose work captured the sublime beauty and burgeoning tourist appeal of the Swiss Alps. His meticulously crafted aquatints, often delicately hand-coloured, not only documented the majestic scenery but also played a significant role in shaping the romantic perception of Switzerland across Europe. Working in an era of burgeoning Alpine tourism and the flourishing of the picturesque aesthetic, Lory's art provided an accessible and enchanting window into a world of towering peaks, cascading waterfalls, and serene lakes, leaving an indelible mark on the visual culture of his time.
Early Life and Artistic Lineage
Mathias Gabriel Lory was born in Bern, Switzerland, in 1784, into a family already steeped in artistic tradition. His father, Gabriel Ludwig Lory (1763-1840), also known as Gabriel Lory père (the father) or sometimes anachronistically referred to as "Gabriel I Lory" in attempts to differentiate, was himself a respected painter and engraver. This familial environment undoubtedly provided the young Mathias with his earliest and most profound artistic education. He learned the craft directly from his father, absorbing not only technical skills in drawing, watercolour, and printmaking but also a deep appreciation for the Swiss landscape that would become the hallmark of their collective oeuvre.
The Lory workshop was a collaborative enterprise, particularly in the early years of Mathias's career. Father and son often worked together on ambitious projects, most notably illustrated travel books that catered to the growing interest in Alpine scenery. This partnership was crucial in establishing their reputation and in producing a significant body of work that combined artistic merit with commercial appeal. The elder Lory's experience and established network, coupled with the younger's burgeoning talent and fresh perspective, created a dynamic synergy.
The Lory Partnership and the Rise of Picturesque Travel
The late 18th and early 19th centuries witnessed a surge in European travel, with Switzerland, and particularly its Alpine regions, becoming a prime destination. This was fueled by Enlightenment ideals of appreciating nature, the Romantic movement's fascination with the sublime and the wild, and practical improvements in travel infrastructure. Artists played a crucial role in this phenomenon, their depictions inspiring would-be travelers and serving as cherished souvenirs. The Lorys were at the forefront of this movement in Switzerland.
Their collaborative efforts resulted in some of the most iconic illustrated books of the era. A landmark publication was the Voyage pittoresque de Genève à Milan par le Simplon, published in 1811. This volume featured a series of aquatint plates, meticulously hand-coloured, depicting the stunning scenery along the Simplon Pass route, a marvel of Napoleonic engineering that had recently opened up new vistas to travelers. The plates, credited to both father and son, and sometimes with assistance from artists like M. de Meuron, showcased their mastery of the aquatint process, which allowed for subtle tonal gradations ideal for capturing atmospheric effects and the textures of rock, water, and foliage.
Another significant early collaboration was the Voyage pittoresque aux glaciers de Chamonix, published in Paris in 1815. This work focused on the dramatic ice-scapes and towering peaks of the Mont Blanc massif, a region that held a particular allure for Romantically-inclined tourists and artists. These publications were not mere topographical records; they were carefully composed works of art, imbued with the principles of the picturesque – an aesthetic that valued variety, irregularity, and a harmonious blend of the natural and the man-made, often framed to evoke gentle, pleasing emotions.
Mathias Gabriel Lory's Independent Achievements
While his early career was intertwined with his father's, Mathias Gabriel Lory soon developed his own distinct voice and embarked on significant projects as the primary artist. He continued to specialize in Swiss landscapes, demonstrating an exceptional skill in watercolour and an eye for detail that brought his scenes to life. His works were characterized by luminous colours, precise draughtsmanship, and a keen sense of composition.
One of his most celebrated independent achievements was the Voyage pittoresque de l'Oberland Bernois, published in 1822. This extensive work, featuring numerous hand-coloured aquatints, provided a comprehensive visual tour of the Bernese Oberland, one of Switzerland's most iconic Alpine regions. It included views of famous peaks like the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, as well as charming valleys, lakes such as Thun and Brienz, and picturesque villages. The plates from this volume are considered masterpieces of the genre, admired for their technical brilliance and their evocative portrayal of the region's diverse beauty.
In 1824, Lory published Costumes suisses, a collection of plates depicting traditional Swiss folk costumes. This work demonstrated his versatility and his interest in the cultural, as well as the natural, aspects of his homeland. These images of regional attire, set against appropriate landscape backdrops, contributed to the romanticized image of Swiss rural life and became popular collector's items. His ability to capture not just the landscape but also the human element within it added depth to his artistic contributions.
Artistic Style, Technique, and Thematic Focus
Mathias Gabriel Lory's style was firmly rooted in the picturesque tradition, which sought to present nature in an aesthetically pleasing and often idealized manner. However, his work also exhibited a strong element of realism, born from careful observation. He excelled in the aquatint technique, a complex intaglio printmaking process that allowed for the creation of broad tonal areas, mimicking the effects of watercolour washes. The plates were typically etched to create the outlines and then aquatinted for tone, before being individually hand-coloured, often by a team of colourists under his supervision, ensuring a high degree of vibrancy and subtlety.
His thematic focus was overwhelmingly the Swiss landscape. He depicted majestic mountain ranges, serene lakes reflecting the sky, dramatic waterfalls like the Staubbach Falls or the Reichenbach Falls, and verdant valleys dotted with chalets. Figures were often included in his scenes – travellers admiring the view, local peasants going about their work, or herdsmen with their cattle. These figures served not only to add life and interest but also to provide a sense of scale, emphasizing the grandeur of the surrounding nature.
Works such as Isola Bella, Lago Maggiore, an aquatint with hand-colouring, showcase his ability to capture the charm of specific locations, blending natural beauty with architectural elements. Another piece, a hand-coloured aquatint simply titled Villa, now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., exemplifies his delicate touch and refined colour sense. Even when depicting man-made structures, like the colossal statue of Saint Charles Borromeo in Arona (which he depicted in a print), the landscape context remained paramount.
Contemporaries and the Wider Artistic Milieu
Mathias Gabriel Lory operated within a rich artistic context, both in Switzerland and internationally. In Switzerland, he followed in the footsteps of earlier landscape pioneers like Johann Ludwig Aberli (1723-1786), who was instrumental in popularizing Swiss views through coloured outline etchings, and the more dramatic Alpine painter Caspar Wolf (1735-1783), whose oil paintings captured the sublime power of the high Alps. Lory's contemporaries in Swiss landscape painting included artists like Samuel Birmann (1793-1847) from Basel, who also specialized in Alpine scenes, and later figures such as François Diday (1802-1877) and his student Alexandre Calame (1810-1864), who would carry Swiss Romantic landscape painting to further heights of international fame.
Lory's work also resonated with developments in landscape art elsewhere in Europe. The British tradition of watercolour and topographical art was particularly strong, with artists like Paul Sandby (1731-1809) being an early adopter of aquatint for landscape views. The great J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) made several influential trips to Switzerland, producing breathtaking watercolours and oil paintings of Alpine scenery that, while stylistically different, shared Lory's fascination with the region's atmospheric conditions and dramatic forms. Thomas Girtin (1775-1802), a contemporary of Turner, also excelled in watercolour landscapes, contributing to the medium's elevation.
In France, the tradition of neoclassical landscape, represented by artists like Jean-Victor Bertin (1767-1842) and Achille-Etna Michallon (1796-1822), was evolving, with an increasing emphasis on direct observation of nature, a trend that would eventually lead to the Barbizon School. While Lory's style was more aligned with the picturesque, the general European interest in landscape provided a fertile ground for his work. German Romantic painters, such as Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), explored landscape with a profound spiritual and symbolic intensity, offering a different, yet contemporary, approach to the depiction of nature.
Lory also collaborated with writers who provided the textual accompaniment to his visual narratives. One notable collaborator was Charles Joseph La Trobe (1801-1875), a British writer and traveller (later Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria, Australia), who was a friend of Lory. La Trobe authored texts for some of Lory's illustrated books, including The Alpenstock; or, Sketches of Swiss Scenery and Manners (1829) and The Pedestrian: A Summer's Ramble in the Tyrol (1832), which featured Lory's illustrations. This collaboration highlights the interdisciplinary nature of travel literature in this period, where image and text worked in concert to evoke the experience of the journey. The provided information also mentions a "La Trémoille" as a writer for Lory, indicating further literary connections.
Anecdotes and Personal Character
While detailed biographical accounts of Mathias Gabriel Lory's personal life are somewhat scarce, the nature of his work and collaborations offers some insights. The enduring partnership with his father suggests a strong familial bond and a shared artistic passion. The sheer volume and consistent quality of his output point to a dedicated and disciplined craftsman.
The provided information alludes to a portrayal of Gabriel Lory in a literary work as an "emotional and irascible" character, particularly in response to his son's departure and his interactions with soldiers. If this refers to Mathias Gabriel Lory (or his father), it offers a rare, albeit possibly fictionalized, glimpse into his personality. Such traits, if true, might reflect the intense pressures of a demanding artistic career or the passionate temperament often associated with creative individuals. However, without more specific historical corroboration, such anecdotal descriptions should be viewed with caution. What is certain is his profound connection to the Swiss environment, which he explored and depicted with unwavering dedication throughout his career.
Legacy and Art Historical Significance
Mathias Gabriel Lory's contribution to art history is multifaceted. He was a master of the aquatint technique, elevating it to a high art form in the service of landscape depiction. His hand-coloured prints achieved a level of delicacy and vibrancy that made them highly sought after. He, along with his father, significantly shaped the visual representation of Switzerland for both a domestic and international audience. Their works became synonymous with the picturesque Alps and played a crucial role in promoting tourism to the region.
His illustrated books, such as Voyage pittoresque de l'Oberland Bernois, are considered classics of 19th-century travel literature and printmaking. They not only captured the scenic beauty but also documented the landscapes, costumes, and ways of life of a Switzerland that was on the cusp of modernization. Today, these works are valuable historical records as well as exquisite examples of print art.
Lory's influence extended to subsequent generations of landscape artists. While the claim of a direct influence on Impressionism might be an overstatement, his popularization of landscape subjects, his attention to atmospheric effects (albeit within a picturesque framework), and the general trend towards outdoor observation that his work represented were part of a broader artistic evolution that eventually led to movements like Impressionism. His works are held in prestigious museum collections worldwide, including the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the British Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., attesting to their enduring artistic value and historical importance.
He died in Bern in 1846, leaving behind a rich legacy. Mathias Gabriel Lory was more than just a skilled craftsman; he was a visual poet of the Swiss Alps, whose art continues to enchant viewers and provide a vivid window into the natural and cultural landscape of early 19th-century Switzerland. His dedication to capturing the "voyage pittoresque" ensured that the majesty of the Alps would resonate far beyond their geographical confines, inspiring awe and wanderlust for generations to come.
