Der Weg zum Glück. Die Berner Kebes-Tafel und die Bilderwelten des Barock: Ausstellungskatalog

Authors

Annette Kranen (ed)
Universität Bern, Institut für Kunstgeschichte
Urte Krass (ed)
Universität Bern, Institut für Kunstgeschichte
Nina Zimmer (ed)
Kunstmuseum Bern

Synopsis

What does it take to lead a successful life? This question is the starting point for the so-called Kebes panel by the Bernese artist Joseph Plepp from 1633. Based on an ancient text, it depicts man's journey through life: He encounters the temptations of material goods, desires and conceits and is exposed to the power of unsteady fate, gets into conflicts of conscience and needs values and virtues to avoid going astray. The exhibition takes up this narrative and takes us back to the period in which the Bernese Kebes panel was created in order to explore how this theme becomes tangible beyond the monumental painting in the pictorial worlds of the Baroque. It becomes apparent that art negotiated in ever new variations and nuances what was important to people: status and prosperity as well as norms and values for living together. In addition to twenty catalog numbers and an introduction to the Bernese Kebes panel, the volume brings together four essays that delve deeper into the topics of the early reception of Kebes, the metaphor of the path of life, the role of Fortuna and the self-staging of two Bernese artists in the 17th century. The exhibition and catalog were realized in collaboration with students from the University of Bern.

Chapters

Published

September 2, 2021

How to Cite

Kranen, A., Krass, U., & Zimmer, N. (Eds.). (2021). Der Weg zum Glück. Die Berner Kebes-Tafel und die Bilderwelten des Barock: Ausstellungskatalog. BOP Books. https://doi.org/10.36950/kat-wzg-2021