Jürgen Wettke: Iceland – Nature of the North

• An essential illustrated coffee table book showcasing the unique natural beauty of a volcanic island
• Stunning visual inspiration for fans of landscape photography, ecology, admirers of Iceland, and world travelers alike

In Halldór Laxness’ novel Under the Glacier, the protagonist travels from Reykjavík to the mythical volcano at the Snæfellsjökull glacier, a place in whose shadow “words cease to have even the slightest meaning.” This could be a leitmotif for Jürgen Wettke’s Iceland images. Whereas language can hardly convey the majesty and beauty of a landscape, the photographs in ICELAND - Nature of the North speak volumes in their eloquence. Wettke’s photographic journey across the volcanic island is guided by nature’s elemental forces: he shows us the diverse forms of fire, water, air, light, and earth. Whether the structures of lava flows, sculptural ice formations, or nature’s artworks, aurora borealis, lighting up the sky—Jürgen Wettke’s photography brings us closer to these wonders of nature. We discover Iceland in an entirely new and breathtaking way!

JÜRGEN WETTKE was born in 1953 in Hagen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Germany. In addition to his successful career?e. g. as a leader in an international corporate consulting firm?he has been a passionate photographer since he was a boy. Perspective and the thoughtful use of light are more important to him than technical tricks. In recent years, he has focused more on landscape photography. He wants his work to touch the viewer emotionally and raise awareness of how fragile our planet’s ecosystems are. His first photo books, The Art of the Wadden Sea and The Namib Desert, published by teNeues in 2013 and 2016, were resounding successes: exhibits in Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Kampen (Sylt), and Salzburg marked their rollout, and there was extensive press coverage as well (Die Zeit, Geo, Die Welt, Stern, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). With the Wadden Sea, the Namib Desert, and Iceland, Jürgen Wettke has found motifs that are constantly changing due to the forces of nature. His photographs are notable not only for their aesthetic qualities, which make them highly desirable collector’s items, but also for the sheer uniqueness of each and every shot.