Whereas, during the last 15 years of his life, he does a lot of drawings
and lithographs, it is surprising to note that there are far less paintings.
Right from his early beginnings, he often drew and painted groups of
people ; between 1950 and 1960, he concentrates his efforts on a group
of friends that regularly meet at « le Rössli » restaurant
in Winterthur, drawings, oil paintings, lithographs, etchings, just
about every technique being used to portray this theme. ."Les
sept" will accompagny him in his evolution, a 1955 version being totally abstract.
"Les
sept" 1953
oil on card - 88 x 115,5 |
"Les
sept" 1955
oil on isorel - 150 x 220 |
Apart from during his holidays (spent in the South
of France and Spain) he is no longer doing any paintings on an easel.
He doesn’t have the time. He spends long periods of time in Switzerland,
where he takes part, often successfully, in numerous contests to work
on monuments (sgraffiti, stained glass windows, tapestries).
In
1949, he does a first sgraffito for the « Konsum » co-operative
society in Winterthur ; in 1954, a sgraffito entitled « Le
Baptême du Christ » is used to decorate a wall in the
parochial hall of Kollbrunn (ZH) and in 1958, yet another sgraffito " La Roue
de la Fortune" is used to decorate a side of the school
in Winterthur-Wülflingen. In the same year he produces 8 stained
glass windows (slabs of glass and concrete) for the Reformed Church
in Winterthur. Between 1950 and 1960 he is haunted by religious
and biblical subjects. « L ‘échelle de Jacob
», « La lutte de Jacob etde l’Ange », «
La Nouvelle Jérusalem »,scenes from the life of Christ
also being studies he will carry out on various supports.
"La Roue de la Fortune" to decorate a side of a school
in Winterthur-Wulflingeb 1958
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Konsum sgraffito1949
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"L'échelle
de Jacob" exists in the form of a sgraffito and several lithigraph."La
lutte de Jacob et de l'Ange" coming to us in the form of a tapestry
and two lithographs.
Study for « La lutte de Jacob et de l’Ange »
1959
Oil on paper |
Study
for
"L'echelle de Jacob" |
"Les
instruments de la passion"
Lithograph 1960
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To
carry out this work, he hires a workshop in Winterthur. He becomes the
leader of a group of artists, including Robert Lienhard, Heinrich Bruppacher
and Hans Ulrich Saas. They meet at "la
Mola", Lienhard’s workshop, placed at their disposal
by the Winterthur industrialist patron, Werner Ganzoni.
"Paysage
du sud de la France" ca.1960
oil on carton - 60 x 80 |
"Portrait
of Werner Ganzoni" 1956
oil on canvas - 118 x 80 |
« La Nouvelle Jérusalem »
will be the theme of numerous drawings, etchings and paintings, along
with two glass windows.
« Then I beheld a new sky and a new earth, for the first sky and
earth had disappeared and the sea was no longer there. And I saw the
holy city, the New Jerusalem, descend from God’s side, decked
out like a wife adorned for her spouse. And I heard a voice cry : this
is the abode of the Lord amongst men....God will be with them. He will
wipe all the tears from their eyes, death will no longer exist...no
mourning, no weeping, no suffering, for the old world will be no more...
» Apocalypse according to John, ch. 21 :1..4)
"La
Nouvelle Jérusalem"
French Reformed Church of Winterthur (ZH)
Stained glass window 1956 |
In
1954
"La Nouvelle Jérusalem"
oil on canvas - 92x59,5 |
In
1960
Elsau church Elsau (CH-ZU)
Detail of a stained glass window
"La Nouvelle Jérusalem"
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