François Bocion1828–1890Bird catching
About the painting
François Bocion (1828-1890) was born in Lausanne. He first trained with Christian Gottlieb Steinlen (1779-1847) in Vevey and subsequently with François Bonnet (1811-1894) in Lausanne. In Paris in 1845, Bocion entered the atelier of Louis-Aimé Grosclaude (1784-1869) and later that of Charles Gleyre (1806-1874) and befriended Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) and other important exponents of the Realist movement. Back in Lausanne in 1849 he became a teacher at the Ecole moyenne et industrielle of Lausanne, a position he held until his death. At the same time, he had an extensive output with several travels abroad. He exhibited in Paris, Vienna, Anvers, London and was a founder member of the Swiss society of watercolorists (1884).
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This painting is a fine example of the genre scenes Bocion produced during his youth. It shows two young peasants catching birds not far from the Leman lake depicted on the left background. This painting was most likely executed shortly after Bocion returned to Lausanne from Paris as it shows the influence of the Realist movement and more specifically of the painter Corot.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1586-1869
