Jean-François Comment

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jean-François Comment (born August 3, 1919 in Pruntrut ; † September 4, 2002 ibid) was a Swiss painter and glass painter . His works include painting, stained glass, illustrations, drawings, lithographs, collages, watercolors, engravings, frescoes, mosaics and monotypes. He was a co-founder of the artist group « Kreis 48 ».

life and work

Jean-François Comment grew up as the son of the notary James Comment and Marguerite Dietlin in Pruntrut. In his youth he copied reproductions of paintings from French newspapers and later took private lessons from Willy Nicolet. After graduating from high school, Comment was allowed to set up a studio in his parents' house in 1938 and entered the Basel School of Applied Arts . There he took lessons from Arnold Fiechter , who had a lasting impact on him. The director of the Kunstmuseum Basel, Georg Schmidt , supported Comment on his artistic path.

In 1939 Comment graduated from the recruiting school and then began his active service as a soldier. In 1943 he made his diploma in art history and as a drawing teacher and advanced training with Walter Bodmer . In 1945 Comment moved into his new studio in Pruntrut. This was followed by participation in the Swiss National Exhibition and various exhibitions in the Wehrli Gallery in Pruntrut u. a. together with Max Kämpf , who taught Comment fresco painting and group exhibitions in the Kunsthalle Basel .

In 1948 Comment and other artists founded the artists' association "Kreis 48", a Basel artist group that went public in 1948 in the Beyeler Gallery and from 1950 for the first time in the Basler Kunsthalle.

In 1949 he married Jeanne Deubel, with whom he traveled extensively. Together with Marcel Joray and Pierre-Olivier Walzer , Comment founded the Jurassic Institute for Science, Art and Literature in 1950 . In 1952, 1955 and 1956 Comment received a federal art scholarship for the fine arts and in 1953 a Kiefer-Hablitzel scholarship. In 1986 he received the Prize for Art, Literature and Science of the Canton of Jura.

His works are in many collections a. a. represented in Switzerland, France, Germany and Norway. He participated in numerous exhibitions around the world, particularly in Japan and Hong Kong, and received numerous awards for his work. In 1963 he exhibited at the Tokyo Biennale and nine other cities in Japan.

Comment was artistically and politically committed to the independence of the Jura, which led to the founding of the Canton of Jura .

In 1974 his works were shown in a large retro perspective in the Bellelay monastery . On Comments eightieth birthday, three retrospectives were organized in 1999, in the Espace d'Art de Chevenez , the Musée jurassien des Beaux-Arts de Moutier and the Musée de Porrentruy. In 2004 a large posthumous retrospective was shown at the Bellelay monastery. To commemorate Comments 100th birthday, retrospectives took place in Pruntrut, Delsberg and Moutier in 2019.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Comment, Jean-François
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss visual artist
DATE OF BIRTH August 3, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Pruntrut
DATE OF DEATH September 4, 2002
Place of death Pruntrut