John-Francis Lecoultre

John-Francis Lecoultre

An outstanding pastellist

26/06/2020 to 20/12/2020

Exhibition of the Grammonts by John-Francis Lecoultre in front of the model!

Villa “Le Lac” Le Corbusier presents a selection of the Grammonts by John-Francis Lecoultre in front of the model! Never has the term in situ been so appropriate. The painter had similar beginnings to Le Corbusier (same origin, same courses at the Art School in La Chaux-de-Fonds, same Parisian dreams), but the City of Light did not work for him: he returned to Switzerland, to Montreux, founded a family and continued to paint all his life away from the artistic scene. The splendid leporello published in 2020 by Call me Edouard Publishers and the present exhibition contribute to highlight this outstanding pastellist. A major discovery for the history of Swiss painting, Lecoultre is a past master of the art of pastel. His pictorial approach sometimes takes after the snapshot: in a few strokes, Lecoultre manages to reproduce the thousand aspects of the surface of water and to make tangible the asperities of rock. Related to the 19th century art movement known as pleinairism, his work shows some influence of the aesthetics of the 1930s and is distinguished by this rare choice of the pastel.

In parallel with the open-air exhibition Valais Amoureux in Evolène (VS), between Lac d’Arbey and Les Farquès.
 

With the support of: 
Photos © FLC/ProLitteris