Francis Roulin
Born in 1926.
Died in 1999.
Francis Roulin (1926–1999) stands out for a varied and prolific body of work, comprising more than a thousand pieces in all: drawings, pastels, oils (including works on various supports such as quartz), watercolours, gouaches, prints, tapestries and sculptures. He collaborated with the Aubusson weavers—the tapestry « Outremer », produced in the Raymond Picaud workshop, is documented—and the source states that he supplied the Picaud workshops. The artist also described his working phases as at times mystical, at times tragic, or at times solar.
After obtaining a baccalauréat ès-lettres in Neuchâtel, he began studying law before turning to the École d'art de La Chaux-de-Fonds, where he notably studied under Georges Dessouslavy and the sculptor Léon Perrin. Holding a teaching certificate in drawing, he taught part-time in Neuchâtel.
In 1968, he furthered his training in Paris for one year at the École des Beaux-Arts, notably attending classes in Roger Chastel's studio. On returning to Switzerland, he settled in Boudry, where he devoted himself exclusively to artistic creation. The source also notes his ties to the land: a descendant of the Roulin family of Provence (Vaud), he owned vineyards in Boudry, described as among the oldest in the locality.
At the time of the account, the sculpture known as Marat was temporarily in a garden in Grandson; the artist stated that he had invested 80'000 francs in it and had taken out a bank loan in connection with the small house he had owned in Boudry since 1963. The source refers to an exhibition scheduled in Hong Kong (uncertain wording: « du 15 mai ou 15 juillet ») as part of a group of Swiss artists, and mentions a presentation in Bienne, concerning which a critic observed that his canvases were « absent of heaviness ». These biographical details are drawn from an article by Claude-Pierre Chambet (L'Express, 29 January 1990) which, among other information, describes Roulin's bronze sculptures as « masterpieces ».