Naked Slave with Tambourine (1880)
Agent Triple P is off to Africa for a week, tomorrow, so here is a painting of an African slave girl by Swiss artist Frank (born Franz) Buchser (1828-1890). Buchser was born near Solothurn and at the age of eighteen was apprenticed to a piano builder, until he was discovered in bed with the piano builder's daughter. He remained a great womaniser.
He left Switzerland for Rome where he served as a Swiss Guard at the Vatican to fund his art studies. He briefly served in Garibaldi's army in 1848. In the next five years he studied art in Paris, Antwerp and Spain, where his art was really appreciated for the first time.
Spanish gypsy girl with mirror
.In 1858 he travelled to Morocco; a visit which would inspire him to paint some orientalist paintings like the African slave as well as some more conventional scenes where, as ever, he was particularly good at capturing light,
The sadness of Ireland
He spent some time in England and from 1866 to 1879 lived in America, when the Swiss government commissioned him to paint a memorial painting on the subject of the American Civil War (Switzerland had also recently had a civil war). The painting was never completed but he painted portraits of Grant, Sherman and the last painting done from life of Robert E Lee. He also painted some striking pictures of the American plains.
This African Slave now hangs in the Kunstmuseum in his home town of Solothurn, along with 80 of his other paintings.
More posts when I return...
