François-Louis David Bocion (; 30 March 1828 in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

– 12 December 1890 in Lausanne) was a Swiss painter, designer and art professor, known primarily for his landscapes of the area around

Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...

Biography

He was the youngest of five children born to the carpenter, Henri-Louis Bocion (1792-1835), who was originally from Bournens, and his wife Suzanne-Catherine. After his father's death, the family's financial situation became untenable and he was placed with his paternal grandfather, a marble sculptor, in

Montreux Montreux (, ; ; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, Swiss municipality and List of towns in Switzerland, town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Swiss Alps, Alps. It belongs to the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut (district), Riviera-Pays ...

. His grandfather, in turn, died in 1840 and François went to live with his mother's family in

Vevey Vevey (; ; ) is a town in Switzerland in the Vaud, canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Leman, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the Vevey (district), district of the same name until 200 ...

, where he completed his primary education. During those years, he was introduced to drawing by Christian-Gottlieb Steinlen (1779-1847) and François Bonnet (1811-1894). This inspired him to visit Paris in 1846, where he frequented the studios of Louis-Aimé Grosclaude and Charles Gleyre at the

École des Beaux-arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

. He also made friends with

Gustave Courbet Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( ; ; ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the ...

. After a bout with

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

, he returned to Lausanne. He held his first showing with the "Société des beaux-arts" (Turnus), shortly thereafter. From 1849 until his death, he was a Professor of Drawing at the École industrielle de Lausanne and designed the school's student uniform. He was a regular contributor of cartoons to the satirical journal, ''La Guêpe'' (The Wasp) from 1851 to 1854. Until 1858, he made numerous trips to Italy. His painting of Venice was purchased by the

Canton of Vaud Vaud ( ; , ), more formally Canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts; its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms bears the motto "Liberté et patrie" on a white-green bicolou ...

and hangs in the meeting room of the Council of State. He also took private students, notably Théophile Steinlen and

Eugène Grasset Eugène Samuel Grasset (; 25 May 1845 – 23 October 1917) was a Swiss decorative artist who worked in Paris, France in a variety of creative design fields during the Belle Époque. He is considered a pioneer in Art Nouveau design. Biography ...

. In 1859, he married Anna-Barbara Furrer. They had nine children, five of whom died in infancy. After 1888, he was a member of the . His works may be seen at the , the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg. A pedestrian passage in Lausanne was named after him in 1924.

External links

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More works by Bocion
@ ArtNet
Exhibition
"Au seuil de l'impressionnisme" (2006/07) Musée Jenisch,

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bocion, Francois 1828 births 1890 deaths Artists from Lausanne 19th-century Swiss painters Swiss male painters 19th-century Swiss male artists

Biography

Further reading

External links