Encounters
Preamble
This is an anthology of my encounters with artworks*). It begins with my birth (1943) and currently
(2025) has no expiration date. Its contents represent, in a sense, the digital legacy of my experience of art
and are addressed to my descendants, family, friends, and art enthusiasts. A special feature: each
encounter includes not only a description of the artwork but also related photographs from my family
album.
The primary aim of this work is to impart aesthetic enjoyment and art historical knowledge to young
readers, with a focus on providing added value in terms of information that cannot be easily found
online. Yes, there's a bit of family history included as well, since some of the more intriguing details are
still unknown.
First, an obvious question: What about artistic activities in our family? Among our ancestors, the brothers
Joseph and Ferdinand Petzl stand out. They belong to the line of my paternal grandmother, Kuni,
daughter of Meta Petzl. Something of that talent must have rubbed off on her, even though Meta wasn't
genetically related to these brothers.
My father was a doctor. Despite his chronophagous profession, he was highly active in the arts,
particularly as a musician and painter. He was responsible for the artistic aspects of our family life, from
raising his children to decorating our house in St. Leonhard.
*) Paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, mosaics, architecture
KY 2025
He passed on some of his talent to us sons. I myself chose drawing as my final-year subject in secondary
school, but ultimately found more creative energy in science; Marcel became a musician, and Paul a
journalist. In my own family, Brigitte works as a jewelry and ceramics maker, practices Ikebana, and
inspired Céline and Candice to create their own ceramic works.
Regarding the genesis of this anthology: I've been working on it since my retirement from the University of
Geneva, an unbelievable 15 years. Meanwhile, I'm coming to the realization that I will never reach an end,
and cannot. Art reflects the progress of human creation—socially, technologically, scientifically, and
epistemologically. Like everything in life, it too remains in flux. Heracles called it "Panta rhei."
One more thing: I've made a very personal selection from my numerous encounters with art. Mentioning
everything I came across and liked would severely test the readers' patience. Therefore, I'll focus on key
themes, such as artistic details, legends, puzzles, and humour. Whether my choices resonate with readers
remains to be seen.
Regarding sources: I try to adhere to original literature as much as possible. Information from the internet
is welcome but is critically examined. Images of artworks are selected based on their quality (resolution).
Most can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Regarding the photos from my family album: Those from before the year 2000 are often of lower quality
because they were digitized from prints or slides. As you know, digital cameras (cell phones) only became
popular around the turn of the millennium
2024
(Foto:-Veronika & Lotti)
Regarding the “value” of the selected artworks: everyone should determine their artistic value for
themselves. Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder. From a commercial standpoint, however,
market value is significant insofar as it can be used as a barometer for public appreciation. It ranges
from practically zero to several hundred million euros. In terms of price, some artworks are thus valued
similarly to fighter jets, football player transfers, the development of pharmaceuticals, and the annual
budgets of research institutions (CERN Geneva, ETH Zurich). This is simply to place artworks within the
value system of our current society.
How to use this anthology: Its “value” lies in the possibility of non-linear reading*). Unlike books, which
are usually read from cover to cover, this file can be browsed in various ways without losing the thread.
The reader determines the thread.
Now, let's get reading! KY Geneva 2025
2024
Artworks
Foto album
*The encounters appear in chronological order but can be read non-chronologically.
Year
Place
