John Torcapel

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John Torcapel (born April 18, 1881 in Geneva ; † July 21, 1965 there ) was a Swiss architect and painter .

Life

John Torcapel trained as a draftsman and studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva. In 1924 he opened his own architecture office. In 1930 he became a teacher at the Geneva School of Applied Arts (Section d'architecture de l'École des Beaux-Arts) and was involved in founding the Architecture Section at the University of Geneva. In 1942 he became a professor at the University of Geneva and taught there until 1953 (Chef d'atelier des éléments d'architecture à l'École d'architecture).

He comes from a Protestant family who immigrated from France and grew up with three sisters in Geneva. His marriage to Marthe Aline (née Berthoud) had a daughter, Anne Torcapel, to whom he handed over his architecture studio in 1960. But his daughter also made sure that the name John Torcapel did not get lost in painting. Her estate enabled Galerie Selano, together with Mme Henri Cauderay (see note 22), to honor the work of John Torcapel in an exhibition in 1991 (see note 20).

He promoted women as architects . So included Colette Oltramare (1904-1980), Marie-Louise Leclerc (1911-2001) and his daughter Anne Torcapel to his students.

Architect and spatial planner

John Torcapel designed various single-family houses in the Geneva area and took part in architectural competitions. In 1905 he made construction plans for the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire. In 1912, he and Adolphe Guyonnet won the project competition for the suburb of Le Mervelet in Petit-Saconnex . In 1918 he and Alfred Olivet took part in the project competition for a new school in Saint-Jean (Geneva) and won 2nd prize. On February 1, 1928, John Torcapel and Adolphe Guyonnet won the project competition to build the Chêne-Bougeries community hall . The architects were also entrusted with the construction.

In the 1930s, the Groupe genevois pour la réconstruction de la Rive droite ( Adolphe Guyonnet , Arnold Hoechel , Jean-Jacques Honegger , Francis Quétant, Henri Minner, John Torcapel, Louis Vincent, Edmond Wanner) dealt with the development of the right bank of the lake. However, this spatial planning was not implemented. In the early 1930s, the Geneva industrialist Edmond Wanner commissioned a group of architects and engineers to realize the Maison de Clarté designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret . In 1932, John Torcapel led the implementation of the designs into building plans, many of which were drawn by Francis Quétant. He took care of the building management together with Boris Nazarieff. In 1945, John Torcapel submitted to the museum commission a plan to expand the Musée d'ethonographie on Boulevard Carl Vogt in Geneva, which was unanimously approved by the commission. In 1948 the extension was built according to his plans.

painter

In his spare time, John Torcapel devoted himself to painting. He painted oil paintings and watercolors and created wood and linocuts, pencil and charcoal pencil drawings and drawings with oil pastel. In addition to landscapes, which make up the main part of his work, he also painted still lifes and portraits.

His first drawings, especially architectural sketches, and pictures date from around 1905. His first oil paintings were made in 1909. This is expressly noted on the back of his picture "Paysage aux environs de Gruyères" ("première année de peinture à l'huile"). At first his oil paintings were strongly influenced by Hodler , for example the paintings “Le faucheur”, “Les rameurs / les bateliers” (1916?) And “Forêt carrée sur le Salève, Jura et ciel” (1911). This is not surprising either, as Albert Schmidt was one of his closest friends, whose father Ferdinand Hodler rented out his studio. (cf. Anker Valentina, Albert Schmidt, Geneve 1998, p. 7 ff. and the oil painting “Un dimanche après-midi”, le peintre A. Schmidt, son Ami John Trocapel et leurs épouses, 1910, 239 × 300 cm; P. 42 f.)

Since 1920 he met a group of painters, sculptors and writers in the "Café du Levant". This group included a. Maurice and Gustave François Barraud , Alexandre Blanchet , Eugène Martin , Félix Appenzeller , Adrien Bovy and Hans Berger . John Torcapel attended the weekly meetings. Here he came into contact with the painting of the other leading head of Geneva painting, Otto Vautier , a painting that did not see itself as "national" but rather cosmopolitan.

As an architect he had contact with other architects who were also active as painters. John Torcapel was also close friends with Albert Trachsel. Pictures, like the dancers, could have been created as a result of this contact, but also based on Hodler, since at that time Émile Jaques-Dalcroze's rhythmic influence on painting was great.

Through the many personal relationships, John Torcapel was able to develop his own style. The focus of his work was the representation of landscapes of the "Campagne genevoise". During his travels, however, he also painted other landscapes, including a number of pictures from the Bernese Oberland, but also pictures from Paris, Antibes and St. Maxime among his works. And again and again he painted his daughter Anne and his wife Marthe, usually referred to as Mme T. or Maman.

Exhibitions

John Torcapel exhibited his works in the Musée Rath (ref> 13a) and l'Athénée (ref> 13b). He took part in national art exhibitions, in rotating exhibitions of the Swiss Art Association and in exhibitions of the Society of Swiss Painters, Sculptors and Architects as well as the National Exhibition of 1939. In 1938 he was invited to an exhibition at the Kunstverein Winterthur. In the same year he showed his works in the Musée Rath in Geneva. The exhibition “Black and White”, where a pencil drawing and two chalk drawings were exhibited, was particularly attractive to him. In 1947 he exhibited works in the Musée Rath together with A. de Siebenthal, RA Coppel and A. Nouspikel.

In 1978 the Classe des Beaux-Arts and les amis des Beaux-Arts dedicated an exhibition to John Torcapel. In 1984 Pierre-Yves Gabus showed how John Torcapel was influenced by Ferdinand Hodler at the beginning of his career . In 1991 Benedetto Selano paid tribute to his work, and in 1994 he again showed selected works by John Torcapel.

On the 100th anniversary of Ferdinand Hodler's death, the Musée d'art et d'histoire de Genève is dedicating an exhibition to Hodler's disciples under the title L'esprit de Hodler dans la peinture genèvoise. From September 28, 2018 to February 24, 2019, three works by John Torcapel (Forêt carrée sur le Saléve, Jura et ciel (1911), jeune pommier aux pommes rouges (1917) et Chemin et rangée d'arbres dans un paysage de collines (1921)).

Torcapel has judged art exhibitions on several occasions.

Memberships

Web links

  • AR: John Torcapel (Nekrolog) . In: The work . tape 52 , no. 10 , 1965, p. 219 ( online ).
  • NN: Torcapel, John. In: Sikart (status: 2011)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Musée d'Art et d'Histoire 340.J.1 / 10.
  2. ^ Private website of the residents of Le Mervelet. ( Memento of the original from October 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mervelet.ch
  3. ↑ Bruno Corthésy: L'Ecole de Sanit-Jean. Etude historique, Ville de Genève, Conservation du patrimoine architectural - juin 200.
  4. ^ NN: Première guerre mondiale. Mairie de Chêne-Bougeries, accessed November 2, 2014 .
  5. ↑ Michael Koch: Guiding principles of modern urban planning in Switzerland. 1918–1939, Diss. ETH Zurich, p. 291 ff.
  6. ^ L'oeuvre architecturale et urbaine de le Corbusier. Volume II: Les biens de la série. L'habitat collectif: Immeuble Clarté. Genève 1930, p. 383.
  7. ↑ Inès Lamunière, Patrick Devanthéry: La "Clarté" le fer, le verre et l'immeuble d'habitation urbain. In: Massilia - Annuaire d'études corbuséennes. 2003, p. 115.
  8. ↑ Compte rendu de l'administration municipale pendant l'année 1945, présenté au Conseil municipal par le Conseil administratif en 1946, p. 91
  9. ↑ Compte rendu de l'administration municipale pendant l'année 1948, présenté au Conseil municipal par le Conseil administratif en 1949, p. 81.
  10. ↑ Anker Valentina, Otto Vautier, Geneva 2005, p. 31 f.
  11. ↑ Anchor Valentina: The Swiss Symbolism. Bern 2009, p. 187.
  12. ^ Fosca François, in: J. Torcapel: Dessins, aquarelles, huiles. Exposition Athénée Genève 1978 a. E.
  13. ↑ Swiss National Art Exhibitions 1910, 1912, 1922, 1925, 1931, 1936, 1941.
  14. ^ Regular exhibitions of the Swiss Art Association in 1915, 1920, 1923, 1926, 1932.
  15. ^ Exhibitions by the Society of Swiss Sculptors and Architects in 1913, 1915, 1924, 1927, 1935, 1943.
  16. ^ Kunstverein Winterthur: Alfred Marxer, Albert Reinhardt, Richard Seewald, John Torcapel, Eduard Weinmann, Marcel Wille, Eugen Zeller, exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Winterthur from August 21 to September 25, 1938
  17. ^ Kunsthaus Zürich, black and white, exhibition from July 27 to September 1, 1940
  18. ↑ J. Torcapel, dessin - aquarelles - huiles, Musée de l'Athénée Genève du 25 May to 24 June 1978.
  19. ^ Gabus Pierre-Yves, Hodler et ses épigones, exhibition from March 29 to April 26, 1984 in the Hôtel des Bergues, in Geneva, catalog, p. 56 f.
  20. ↑ Gallery Selano, Hommage au painter John Torcapel, Exposition du 2 octobre au 16 novembre 1,991th
  21. ↑ Galerie Selano, John Torcapel Exposition du 26 avril au 28 may 1994.

13a) Exposition Peinture, Sculpture Art Décoratif au Musée Rath, Genève du 18 octobre au 10 novembre 1912 de Hans Berger, Blondin, Bosshard, Buchet, Paul Carteret, Ed. Castres, Demol, Emile Hornung, Erich Hermes, André Jacques, L. Jagd, Loup, Alex Mairet, Maurice Mathe, Morard, Francis Portier, F. de Ribaupierre, Rouban, Maurice Sarkissoff, Sauter, Albert Schmidt, J. Suppo, John Torcapel, Waschawsky, Wenger 

   Exposition de A. de Siebenthal, J. Torcapel, R.A. Doppel et A. Nouspikel du 25 janvier au 16 février 1947

13b) Exposition "J. Torcapel (1881–1965) Dessin - aquarelles -huilles" de la Classe des Beaux-Arts et les Amis des Beaux-Arts from May 25th to June 24th 1978 at the Musée de l'Athénée

22) Marcelle Cauderay-Weiss (+ October 2, 2010) was the widow of Henri Cauderay, whom Anne Torcapel had appointed as the sole heir with her will. She has sold all of John Torcapel's paintings, watercolors, drafts, sketches, diaries and correspondence to Benedetto Selano.

personal data
SURNAME Torcapel, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss architect and painter
DATE OF BIRTH April 18, 1881
PLACE OF BIRTH Geneva
DATE OF DEATH July 21, 1965
Place of death Geneva