In the past, every child knew the animal paintings of the Swiss artist Fritz Hug (1921- 1989). 30 years after his death it has become quiet around him. The film tells the story of a highly talented, popular and also commercially successful artist who made animals his life’s work..
Fritz Hug was a great draughtsman, master of oil painting and virtuoso of lithography. He painted landscapes, cityscapes, portraits – and always animals. They were his life’s theme. He portrayed animals not only as representatives of their species or race, but as individuals, giving them a personality. He captured the essence of the portrayed animal with brush and pencil like no one before or after him.
The documentary film about the life and work of the painter shows a rich selection of his paintings and excerpts from old films and interviews people from Fritz Hug’s life: his children, his sister, friends, an art historian, a former zoo director, a former managing director of the WWF. They paint the picture of an amiable person, a highly talented artist and tireless creator, who was ahead of his time with the subject of animals and species protection, but was cut by the established art scene despite his enormous success with the public. A collector of the younger generation tells why Fritz Hug’s paintings still fascinate today. The film is to be shown for the first time at the vernissage in a Zurich cinema.
Director: Annette Frei Berthoud
Camera and Sound: Sélim Berthoud
Music: Alessio Lottero / Vanni Fiorelli
Editing: Doris Schmid
Sound Mix and Sound Design: Digiton /Jürg von Allmen Color Grading: Paul Avondet, peakfein
Production: Berthoud Media GmbH, Zurich
© 2022 www.berthoudmedia.com
DVD and book are available at Berthoud Media.
