Gustave-François Barraud – Modern Classicism of a Painter from Geneva
Gustave-François Barraud (As an artist he adopted the name Gustave Francois and often signed his works "GF") is particularly well known for his female nudes, frequently shown discretely from behind angled slightly to one side.
Gustave François was the brother of Maurice Barraud (known for his classical murals such as the scene on the Lucerne train station or in Salle III of the United Nations building in Geneva). The two boys were born into a family of modest means in Geneva and needed to earn a living through their art.
The Barraud brothers were co-founders in 1914 of the artists group Le Fayot, which also included the Geneva painters Eugène Martin et Emile Bressler. The prevailing Swiss aesthetic of the time – exemplified by the Ecole de Saviese – was a quest for Switzerland’s folklorique roots. The Le Fayot group sought to portray a more modern vision of the world, but one still imbued with the forms of classicism.
