Frank (originally Franz) Buchser (1828–1890) was a Swiss painter. He is noted for his portraits of notable American figures of the post civil war period and for his works with Oriental themes.

Life and work

Born Franz Buchser on 15 August 1828 near Solothurn in Switzerland, he was the son of a farmer, Niklaus Josef and his wife Anna Maria, née Walker. At the age of 18 he was apprenticed to a piano builder and organ maker. However, his apprenticeship ended abruptly when the master found him in bed with his daughter.Carrino, D.A., "Europe's Artistic Ambassador to the Post-Civil War United States," History Briefs,The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable, February, 2011

In 1847, he decided to become a painter, and took drawing lessons from the Bern artist, Heinrich von Arx (1802–58). He travelled to Rome via Paris and Florence and studied art in Paris, Antwerp and at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. While in Rome, he financed his studies by working for the Swiss Guard. Although he took art lessons here and there, the bulk of his art education was primarily self-taught.

Buchser travelled extensively in Europe, Africa and England. A personal highlight of his travels was a visit to Fez, Morocco in 1858 where he painted many street scenes and pictures of the Bedouin people. In 1862, he was active as commissioner of the Department of Swiss Art at the World's Fair in London.Wälchlim G., Frank Buchser, 1828-1890; Leben und Werk, Zürich, Leipzig, Orell Füssli, 1941

In 1866, Buchser visited the United States and remained there until 1871. He painted scenes of the American plains, with an emphasis on color that was new at the time. He caught up with a military expedition led by General William T. Sherman and painted scenes of the places they visited, including Fort Laramie.Thrapp, D.L., Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography: A-F, University of Nebraska Press, 1991, p. 185 While in the US, he painted portraits of many notable personalities, including President Andrew Johnson, Secretary of State, William Seward and General Sherman Carrino, D.A., [Roundtable Historian], History Briefs: 2011 - 2012, The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable, 2011, Online: http://clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/articles/comment/history_briefs12.htm and the last known portrait of Robert E. Lee.Burns, S. and Davis, J., American Art to 1900: A Documentary History, University of California Press, 2009, p.536 He also painted a series depicting African Americans in a sympathetic manner.Wallace-Sanders, k., Skin Deep, Spirit Strong: The Black Female Body in American Culture, University of Michigan Press, 2002, p.123; Moriarty, S., "The 'Negro-Pictures' of Frank Buchser: Romantic Representation of Blackness in America," SECAC Conference Proceedings, New Orleans, Louisiana, September 24–27, 2008 During this period, he Americanised his name to Frank, and retained that form for the rest of his life.

In his final years, he returned to his native Switzerland where he campaigned for a reform of the art exhibition system and was a supporter of the "Swiss Federal Decree on the Promotion and Elevation of Swiss Art" (1887). From 1888 to 1890 he was one of the members of the .Brun, C., "Buchser, Frank," in General German Biography (ADB), Vol. 47, Leipzig, Duncker & Humblot, 1903, pp. 330-332

Stylistically, Buchser's work was very versatile. He has been described as an Orientalist painter and as a realist. His oeuvre comprises about 1000 works in oil, including about 300 full paintings. The remainder are mostly independent sketches, often executed with spiritedly rapid strokes, which show the artist's pronounced sense of color and light. The most important collection of his works are in the Kunstmuseum Solothurn (80 paintings) and the Kunstmuseum Basel (over 1000 oil sketches, drawings and watercolors and sketchbooks).Kunstmuseum Basel, From Arcadia to Atlanta: Photographs from the Estate of Frank Buchser (1828–1890), 2009, ; Christoph Vögele: Erweiterungsbau für das Kunstmuseum Solothurn. Motivation und Perspektiven (PDF; 64 kB)

He died on November 22, 1890, in Solothurn.

Select list of paintings

Street Scene in Algiers (c.1850) Bedouin Seated with Pen and Paper n.d. Naked Slave with Tambourine Portrait of Andrew Johnson Portrait of Robert E. Lee (; Currently in the residence of the Swiss ambassador to the U.S, Washington D.C.) Portrait of William Tecumseh Sherman (Currently in the residence of the Swiss ambassador to the U.S, Washington D.C.) Portrait of William Seward The Song of Mary Blane Four Black Marble Players (1867) Old Virginia () Los Tres Amigos n.d.

Gallery

References