Breaking Ice and Creating Art – a Woodcut by Giovanni Giacometti

How was milk kept fresh, and how was beer cooled before refrigerators were invented? By using ice from Lake Davos, for instance. In 1899 alone, around one million kilograms of ice were cut from the frozen Lake Davos, with 1,000 railcar loads transported to the lowlands—and even as far as France. Naturally, ice was also harvested from the lakes of the Engadin.

How workers cut ice from the lakes is depicted, for instance, in a work by Giovanni Giacometti (1868–1933), which is on display at the Bündner Kunstmuseum in Chur (Graubünden’s Art Museum).

The work lacks the bright colours that so often pervade Giacometti’s paintings of the Engadin or Val Bregaglia. Instead, the woodcut captivates through its striking contrasts. A closer look reveals the artist’s remarkable dexterity and attention to detail. This is also evident in the woodblock, which is part of the museum’s collection as well.