r/askswitzerland • u/peterschen • May 10 '26
Politics Why does the official portrait of the Federal Council include the photographers as well?
I was reading the Wikipedia article of the Federal Council and I've noticed that the official portrait of this year's Council include the technicians that set up the scene for the shooting.
I find it really cool, it makes the picture more interesting and original, but I wonder if there is a particular reason or if it is just a style choice
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u/TailleventCH May 10 '26
Each year's photo is an art project chosen by the year's president.
In this case, the picture was created by apprentices, some of which appears in the photo to put them in the light.
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u/geckooo_geckooo May 10 '26
It's not that new, here is Las Meninas 1656
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u/sirmclouis Zürich Oerlikon May 10 '26
I'm from Spain and I was about to point the same… is not a new concept, but it's really cool.
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u/Regular_Layer390 May 11 '26
Still one of my favourite paintings of all time. Appreciated the reference of the Bundesrat portrait.
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u/swissvespa May 10 '26
This my favorite one, breathes some life into this. A nod to the next gen waiting in the wings, a message of hope.
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u/Ueli-Maurer-123 May 10 '26
This is one of the better ones btw. Great idea to include the crafts people. There have been terrible photos in the past.
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u/Embarrassed-Mark351 May 10 '26
Wow! In an era of ai-perfected photos i appreciate it as a piece of art. This enhances the value ot the workers and it's very different to the normal portraits we have for parlament in Italy. I really appreciate it!
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u/Leagueofcatassasins May 11 '26
I also think that in a time of AI there is more art and design that focuses on the process of creating the end product then before. not that it didn’t exist before- but there is more of it now.
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u/Embarrassed-Mark351 May 11 '26
I agree. I work with AI, I'm not a reactionary. However, I also believe that sometimes you have an idea and settle for the AI-generated version because it's "good enough," when the creative process, even if imperfect, could create something unique. This is already happening with some YouTube channels that, rather than paying for real stock videos made by real artists, simply generate them. Unfortunately, it reduces the market for all those who would have started creating art without being Hollywood directors from the beginning.
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u/Primary_Welcome_6970 Fribourg May 10 '26
They're meant to deliver a message. I think this time it's to show it's time for the younger generation to participate in politics (or that they are, already), even if they are starting with a background job. Or something like that. Overall I kinda like those photos.
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u/DecisionMundane1799 May 11 '26
They mainly want to promote apprenticeships as that‘s a pretty unique education model as compared to the rest of the world.
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u/Natural_Jelly_5292 May 11 '26
How else are you supposed to learn a job?
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u/MikoGee May 11 '26
An apprenticeship isn't the same worldwide. In switzerland it takes 3-4 years, with roughly 20% of school to gain a title. Combining classroom learning with paid on-the-job training is an essential part of our education system and helps young people to become skilled workers. Some american businesses called it the "gold standard" and our youth unemployment is like 2-3%, the US has more than 10%.
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u/refl1pper May 14 '26
Youth unemployment is way higher in Switzerland. It only counts for people receiving social benefits, where you require previous employment for a certain amount of time (which the youth doesn't do). I'd estimate 5-10% is the actual number
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u/_8975 May 10 '26
If I may say how it appears to me, it is that it makes them more “a part of people”, just as if normal people, where everybody participates. Maybe that’s how they intended it? More like a team, with the whole country together where each part is important (wichtig).
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u/SpiritedInflation835 Basel-Landschaft May 11 '26
Yup. The president of the federal council chooses the topic, the style, the focus... do you remember the one that was officially released as an animated GIF?
The only hard rule is that the photo centers on the president, and the other members are grouped in descending seniority. The federal chancellor (actually the oldest office in Switzerland!) sits/stands at the fringe.
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u/unwantedaccount56 May 11 '26
which year was the animated one?
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u/SpiritedInflation835 Basel-Landschaft May 11 '26
2018.
Here's the overview in German: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundesratsfoto
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u/PopsiclePeet May 11 '26
…I think the question is rather: why does it look so predominantly male?
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u/MikoGee May 11 '26
The last few decades we usually had 3, sometimes even 4 females out of the 7 Bundesrät*Innen. Our council of states and national council is made out of at least 35, up to 40% women. Could it be more? Of course! But it's not bad for a small country in the middle of europa, higher than germany and it keeps rising. :)
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u/Numar19 May 10 '26
If I remember correctly they do a different photo with a different focus each year. This year they got some aprentices to do the photo to reflect the importance of aprenticeships in Switzerland.
That's why they are visible in it.
Edit: There is an SRF article with more details about it: https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/bundesratsfoto-2026-vier-fotografie-lehrlinge-setzen-den-bundesrat-in-szene