Jakob Edwin Bachmann
Jakob Edwin Bachmann was born in Zurich on August 18, 1873, the son of a respected lawyer and well-known criminal defense attorney. He spent his school years in Zurich, but his inclination towards creativity became apparent early on, which eventually led him to learn the art of lithography. After completing his training, he traveled and found jobs that suited his artistic talents. As an enthusiastic admirer of the wonders of nature, he spent every spare minute at renowned art academies in Leipzig and Munich. He later enriched his knowledge by spending time in Paris, where he studied painting and drawing at the École des Beaux-Arts.
After his return to Switzerland, he married Pauline Leonhard and started a family. This marriage produced his children Gertrud, Edwin Paul and Edwin Karl. At the same time, he took over the management of the prestigious company Pfister+Meier for decorative and theater painting in Richterswil, while devoting more and more time to painting in his private life. He copied paintings by famous masters, produced portraits of the deceased from photographs for clients and eventually developed his own style, which encompassed landscapes, still lifes and religious scenes.
In 1913, he was commissioned to paint sacred pictures for the new church in Richterswil, which further increased his artistic recognition. During the First World War, his artistic activities were interrupted by military service, and the closure of the Pfister+Meier company due to supply problems from abroad exacerbated his financial situation. The death of his first wife Pauline in 1915 and the ensuing creative crisis led to him becoming known as the “gray Bachmann”, as his paintings now showed little light and he had to struggle with inner doubts.
One year after the loss of Pauline, Jakob Edwin married the nurse Fanny Flütsch, with whom he had five sons: Hans, Walter, Werner, Hermann and Rudolf. Inspired by his second wife, Bachmann finally devoted himself to painting after the war and moved to Weesen with his family, where he explored nature and the mountain landscapes around Lake Walen and captured them on canvas. His interest in people and animals led him to focus intensively on portrait and figure painting.
In 1923, he found employment with the company Alois Eberhard, Theatermalerei, Weesen, where he was able to further develop his artistic creativity. His family and painting were his purpose in life, and he was increasingly appreciated for his skills as a portrait painter. In 1929, the family moved to Pfäffikon on Lake Zurich, where Bachmann continued his artistic activities and many of his works were sent all over the world as postcards.
He was dealt another blow in 1940 with the death of his second wife Fanny. He lived and worked alone until 1947, when he moved in with his son Werner and his family in Freienbach SZ. He painted intensively at his easel until 1952 and finally died in January 1957 at the age of 84. He found his final resting place next to his wife Fanny in the Protestant cemetery in Wollerau.
Jakob Edwin Bachmann left behind an impressive artistic legacy and was honored posthumously in memorial exhibitions, including one in Pfäffikon/SZ in 1985. He was the father of Edwin Paul Bachmann, Edwin Carl Bachmann and Hermann Bachmann as well as the grandfather of Ursula, Werner and Anna Maria.