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François Bocion — Bord du lac à Rivaz — Image creditsFrançois Bocion · Bord du lac à Rivaz · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
François Bocion — « Bord du lac à Rivaz ». Another work by the artist, chosen as a visual connection to the story.
François Bocion · Bord du lac à Rivaz · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
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François Bocion · 5 min read

The stones of a lake too calm

Saint-Saphorin seems to offer a perfectly tranquil Lake Geneva. Yet a preparatory study and a critic's comment reveal Bocion's studio work, organising stones, birds and distances to give life to the foreground.

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François Bocion — Lavandières à San Remo — Image creditsFrançois Bocion · Lavandières à San Remo · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Paradise Chronicle
François Bocion — « Lavandières à San Remo ». Another work by the artist, chosen as a visual connection to the story.
François Bocion · Lavandières à San Remo · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Paradise Chronicle
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Proportional resizing and WebP conversion, without cropping.

François Bocion · 5 min read

Venice, despite the unsold paintings

Bocion's first views of Venice do not sell as he had hoped. Yet he returns to the lagoon, then composes a large canvas in Lausanne. The journey continues through sketches, boats and a horizon that proves difficult to organise.

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François Bocion — Pêcheur à la ligne — Image creditsFrançois Bocion · Pêcheur à la ligne · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Paradise Chronicle
François Bocion — « Pêcheur à la ligne ». Another work by the artist, chosen as a visual connection to the story.
François Bocion · Pêcheur à la ligne · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Paradise Chronicle
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Proportional resizing and WebP conversion, without cropping.

François Bocion · 5 min read

The net that holds the gaze

In Nets and Fishermen, Lake Geneva appears behind a curtain of mesh. Bocion turns rest and the upkeep of equipment into a painting of shade and light, attentive to the daily rhythm of the shores.

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François Bocion — Bocion et sa famille à la pêche — Image creditsFrançois Bocion · Bocion et sa famille à la pêche · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Paradise Chronicle
François Bocion — « Bocion et sa famille à la pêche ».
François Bocion · Bocion et sa famille à la pêche · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Paradise Chronicle
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François Bocion · 5 min read

The painter who steps into his own boat

In 1877, François Bocion joins a family outing on Lake Geneva. This small panel brings together landscape, boating and self-portraiture, inviting viewers to find their place almost at water level.

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François Bocion — Lac et pêcheurs — Image creditsFrançois Bocion · Lac et pêcheurs · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Paradise Chronicle
François Bocion — « Lac et pêcheurs ».
François Bocion · Lac et pêcheurs · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Paradise Chronicle
Image source Licence
Proportional resizing and WebP conversion, without cropping.

François Bocion · 5 min read

When the lake takes first place

In 1885, Bocion keeps the boats, nets and fishermen but gives them less space. A small elongated canvas tells of this shift: on Lake Geneva's French shore, light becomes the true thread guiding the eye.

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François Bocion — Le Port d’Ouchy — Image creditsFrançois Bocion · Le Port d’Ouchy · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Mlafarge
François Bocion — « Le Port d’Ouchy ».
François Bocion · Le Port d’Ouchy · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Mlafarge
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Proportional resizing and WebP conversion, without cropping.

François Bocion · 4 min read

François Bocion: the first painting inventoried before the museum opened

In Vevey, a public subscription was launched in 1893 for François Bocion’s Le Port d’Ouchy. However, the Musée Jenisch’s pages differ on the date of acquisition: the work’s catalogue entry gives 1896, while the history page states 1893. Both present the painting as the first inventory number in the collection, predating the museum’s inauguration in March 1897.

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