René Auberjonois
Encyclopedia
René Victor Auberjonois (18 August 1872 – 11 October 1957) was a post-Impressionist Swiss
painter and one of the leading Swiss artists of the 20th century.
to study with Luc-Olivier Merson
and at the École des Beaux-Arts
. His budding French career was noted in Switzerland, and after the turn of the century, he made the acquaintance of fellow painter Ferdinand Hodler
, conductor Ernest Ansermet
and writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz
. Auberjonois would later create numerous book illustrations and stage designs for Ramuz and for other artists, including for Igor Stravinsky
's L’histoire du soldat.
In 1908, he moved to Jouxtens-Mézery
in Switzerland and married Augusta Grenier, whom he then divorced in 1919. They had two sons – Maurice (b. 1909) and Fernand
(1910–2004). Fernand would become a renowned journalist in the U.S. and his son René an actor. The support of a patron, the collector Hans Graber, helped Auberjonois during the 1910s, while in the 1920s he began to acquire a certain public reputation through expositions and prominent commissions. A second marriage in 1922 with Marguerite Hélène Buvelot fell apart in 1929, as Auberjonois recognised his inability to reconcile his work with a family life.
After the death of his mother and the sale of his family house in 1929, Auberjonois had a small house built in Pully
next to that of Ramuz, which he occupied in 1933–34 until quarrels with Ramuz caused him to move out. In 1935, he accepted a commission to paint mural
s for the abbey of Dézaley despite constant doubts about his own skills – he did not risk painting directly on the wall, as this required particular speed and precision. The Belle du Dézaley mural was very poorly received, causing Auberjonois to become a virtual recluse in his Lausanne studio throughout the 1930s, interrupted only by a brief liaison with his model Simone Hauert.
Despite health problems and Auberjonois' own persistent dissatisfaction with his work, the 1940s were his most productive years, and public recognition of his œuvre increased. Dispirited by his friend Ramuz' death in 1947 and preoccupied with his age and poor health, he afterwards retreated more and more from the art scene. Yet he lived to see his work gain international recognition at the first Documenta
in Kassel
(1955), two years before his death.
, Auberjonois began to employ post-Impressionist techniques after 1903. His subject matter was mostly that of his native Vaud
, such as natural landscapes, bathing women or rustic still life
s. In the early 1930s, his paintings became progressively simpler in an Expressionist style close to that of Modigliani
. The personal crisis caused by the polemic over his murals is reflected in the use of fewer and darker colours after 1936. Afterwards, Auberjonois realised some of his most significant works as a colourist inspired by Delacroix
and then Rembrandt, including Hommage à l’Olympia (1943), Baigneuses dans la forêt (1944, Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen
), Clown et petite écuyère (1946), Portrait de l’artiste (1948, Kunsthaus Aarau
), Fille dans la chambre rouge (1948, Museum zu Allerheiligen), Nature morte au crâne (1950) and L’arène jaune (1953–54).
Auberjonois' paintings reflect a slow maturation, reaching their artistic apogee at around 1948 when he was 76 years old. Often disappointed with himself, he destroyed many of his works. His drawings, both formal studies and caricatures, are largely independent of his pictorial work. That work is both modern in the deformation it imposes upon nature, and conservative in its choice of subjects.
, Auberjonois had no clear successors and few students in his time. He exerted considerable influence, however, through his art criticism published in the French-speaking Swiss press. His artistic reception in his own region, the Romandie, was poor during his lifetime, and his recognition was mostly gained in the German-speaking part of Switzerland and abroad.
Significant works of René Auberjonois are on public display at the Aargauer Kunsthaus, the Kunstmuseum Basel
, the Musée cantonal des beaux-arts Lausanne, the Kunsthaus Zürich
and the Werner Coninx-Stiftung.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
painter and one of the leading Swiss artists of the 20th century.
Biography
Born to wealthy parents, Auberjonois lived a jeunesse dorée, studying the classics, starting a banking apprenticeship and serving as a lieutenant of cavalry in the Swiss Army. After dabbling in caricature and music during a first trip to England, he decided to become a painter and enrolled in the Kensington School of Art. In 1896, he moved to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study with Luc-Olivier Merson
Luc-Olivier Merson
Luc-Olivier Merson was a French academic painter and illustrator also known for his postage stamp and currency designs....
and at the École des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
. His budding French career was noted in Switzerland, and after the turn of the century, he made the acquaintance of fellow painter Ferdinand Hodler
Ferdinand Hodler
Ferdinand Hodler was one of the best-known Swiss painters of the 19th century.-Life:Hodler was born in Berne, the eldest of six children. His father, Jean Hodler, made a meager living as a carpenter; his mother, Marguerite , was from a peasant family...
, conductor Ernest Ansermet
Ernest Ansermet
Ernest Alexandre Ansermet was a Swiss conductor.- Biography :Ansermet was born in Vevey, Switzerland. Although he was a contemporary of Wilhelm Furtwängler and Otto Klemperer, Ansermet represents in most ways a very different tradition and approach from those two musicians. Originally he was a...
and writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz
Charles Ferdinand Ramuz
Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz was a French-speaking Swiss writer.He was born in Lausanne in the canton of Vaud and educated at the University of Lausanne. He taught briefly in nearby Aubonne, and then in Weimar, Germany. In 1903, he left for Paris and remained there until World War I, with frequent...
. Auberjonois would later create numerous book illustrations and stage designs for Ramuz and for other artists, including for Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's L’histoire du soldat.
In 1908, he moved to Jouxtens-Mézery
Jouxtens-Mézery
Jouxtens-Mézery is a municipality in the district of Lausanne in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is a suburb of the city of Lausanne.-History:Jouxtens is first mentioned in 1185 as Jotens. Mézery is first mentioned in 929 as Masiriaco....
in Switzerland and married Augusta Grenier, whom he then divorced in 1919. They had two sons – Maurice (b. 1909) and Fernand
Fernand Auberjonois
Fernand Auberjonois was a highly respected journalist who worked as the foreign correspondent of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Toledo Blade. Throughout most of the Cold War, Auberjonois was one of the most admired American reporters based in London...
(1910–2004). Fernand would become a renowned journalist in the U.S. and his son René an actor. The support of a patron, the collector Hans Graber, helped Auberjonois during the 1910s, while in the 1920s he began to acquire a certain public reputation through expositions and prominent commissions. A second marriage in 1922 with Marguerite Hélène Buvelot fell apart in 1929, as Auberjonois recognised his inability to reconcile his work with a family life.
After the death of his mother and the sale of his family house in 1929, Auberjonois had a small house built in Pully
Pully
Pully is a municipality in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron.It is one of the eastern suburbs of the city of Lausanne, located on the shores of Lake Geneva and at the foot of the vineyards of Lavaux on the road to Vevey and Montreux.-Prehistory:In 1826 a...
next to that of Ramuz, which he occupied in 1933–34 until quarrels with Ramuz caused him to move out. In 1935, he accepted a commission to paint mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s for the abbey of Dézaley despite constant doubts about his own skills – he did not risk painting directly on the wall, as this required particular speed and precision. The Belle du Dézaley mural was very poorly received, causing Auberjonois to become a virtual recluse in his Lausanne studio throughout the 1930s, interrupted only by a brief liaison with his model Simone Hauert.
Despite health problems and Auberjonois' own persistent dissatisfaction with his work, the 1940s were his most productive years, and public recognition of his œuvre increased. Dispirited by his friend Ramuz' death in 1947 and preoccupied with his age and poor health, he afterwards retreated more and more from the art scene. Yet he lived to see his work gain international recognition at the first Documenta
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
(1955), two years before his death.
Work
After beginning his career in France as a RealistRealism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
, Auberjonois began to employ post-Impressionist techniques after 1903. His subject matter was mostly that of his native Vaud
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
, such as natural landscapes, bathing women or rustic still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
s. In the early 1930s, his paintings became progressively simpler in an Expressionist style close to that of Modigliani
Amedeo Modigliani
Amedeo Clemente Modigliani was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. Primarily a figurative artist, he became known for paintings and sculptures in a modern style characterized by mask-like faces and elongation of form...
. The personal crisis caused by the polemic over his murals is reflected in the use of fewer and darker colours after 1936. Afterwards, Auberjonois realised some of his most significant works as a colourist inspired by Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
and then Rembrandt, including Hommage à l’Olympia (1943), Baigneuses dans la forêt (1944, Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
), Clown et petite écuyère (1946), Portrait de l’artiste (1948, Kunsthaus Aarau
Aarau
Aarau is the capital of the northern Swiss canton of Aargau. The city is also the capital of the district of Aarau. It is German-speaking and predominantly Protestant. Aarau is situated on the Swiss plateau, in the valley of the Aar, on the river's right bank, and at the southern foot of the Jura...
), Fille dans la chambre rouge (1948, Museum zu Allerheiligen), Nature morte au crâne (1950) and L’arène jaune (1953–54).
Auberjonois' paintings reflect a slow maturation, reaching their artistic apogee at around 1948 when he was 76 years old. Often disappointed with himself, he destroyed many of his works. His drawings, both formal studies and caricatures, are largely independent of his pictorial work. That work is both modern in the deformation it imposes upon nature, and conservative in its choice of subjects.
Impact and legacy
Despite now appearing as a leading and emblematic figure in Swiss art after Ferdinand HodlerFerdinand Hodler
Ferdinand Hodler was one of the best-known Swiss painters of the 19th century.-Life:Hodler was born in Berne, the eldest of six children. His father, Jean Hodler, made a meager living as a carpenter; his mother, Marguerite , was from a peasant family...
, Auberjonois had no clear successors and few students in his time. He exerted considerable influence, however, through his art criticism published in the French-speaking Swiss press. His artistic reception in his own region, the Romandie, was poor during his lifetime, and his recognition was mostly gained in the German-speaking part of Switzerland and abroad.
Significant works of René Auberjonois are on public display at the Aargauer Kunsthaus, the Kunstmuseum Basel
Kunstmuseum Basel
The Kunstmuseum Basel houses the largest and most significant public art collection in Switzerland, and is listed as a heritage site of national significance. Its lineage extends back to the Amerbach Cabinet purchased by the city of Basel in 1661, which made it the first municipally owned museum...
, the Musée cantonal des beaux-arts Lausanne, the Kunsthaus Zürich
Kunsthaus Zürich
The Kunsthaus Zürich houses one of the most important art museums in Switzerland and Europe, collected by the local Kunstverein, called Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, and holdings running from the Middle Ages to contemporary art, with an emphasis on Swiss art.Kunsthaus is also the name of the tram stop...
and the Werner Coninx-Stiftung.
External links
- René Auberjonois at the Art Encyclopedia