With the images of Im Dienst, Odermatt transgressed the documentary genre, revealing the ordinary activities of the canton police with a touch of irony, displaying a sharp sense of composition and framing, but also of the absurd.
Even if the titles of his photographs suggest a documentary value by indicating the places where the photographs were taken—Arnitobel, Wolfenschiessen (1964), Ennetmoos (1965), Kernwald, Ennetmoos (1966), Stansstad (1967) and Buchos (1965)—Odermatt photographed officers in stereotypical situations: on the mountains, in a boat, on a motorcycle, or monitoring traffic.
Though they lack any proclaimed artistic intention per se—similarly to the work of Atget, Lartigue or Tichý, discovered late and situated on the periphery of the established art realm—these images nevertheless show the attentive eye of an aesthete, unconsciously shaped by TV and film culture.
Even if the titles of his photographs suggest a documentary value by indicating the places where the photographs were taken—Arnitobel, Wolfenschiessen (1964), Ennetmoos (1965), Kernwald, Ennetmoos (1966), Stansstad (1967) and Buchos (1965)—Odermatt photographed officers in stereotypical situations: on the mountains, in a boat, on a motorcycle, or monitoring traffic.
Though they lack any proclaimed artistic intention per se—similarly to the work of Atget, Lartigue or Tichý, discovered late and situated on the periphery of the established art realm—these images nevertheless show the attentive eye of an aesthete, unconsciously shaped by TV and film culture.
