Bela Čikoš Sesija (born Adalbert Csikos Sessia; 27 January 1864 in

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

– 11 February 1931 in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

) was a Croatian

Symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

painter, art teacher and one of the founders of the Academy of Fine Arts in

Biography

Čikoš Sesija's father was a Captain in the border patrol of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

.Brief biography
@ Essekeri. One of the Čikoš' ancestors was a hero at the Battle of the Sesia in 1524 and, as a result, was knighted with the name "Sesija". Due to his father's reassignments, the family moved frequently and his education was sporadic until he entered the Cadet School at

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb-Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...

in 1874. After graduation, in 1882, Čikoš Sesija was assigned to the 78th Osijek infantry regiment under Baron Josip Šokčević. He moved up in the ranks quickly, becoming a full Lieutenant in 1886, but resigned the following year because he refused to help support

Károly Khuen-Héderváry Count Károly Khuen-Héderváry de Hédervár, born as ''Károly Khuen de Belás'' ( hr, Dragutin Khuen-Héderváry, 23 May 1849 – 16 February 1918) was a Hungarian politician and the Ban of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia in the late nine ...

's policy of Magyarization."Retrospektiva Bele Čikoša Sesije: Soldat i symbolist"
by Igor Brešan @ Slobodna Dalmacija Despite having shown no particular aptitude for art, Čikoš Sesija enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, where he studied with

Julius Victor Berger Julius Victor Berger (20 July 1850, Neutitschein, Mähren — 17 November 1902, Vienna) was an Austrian painter who is known primarily for his genre paintings and portraits. Life Julius Berger's was the son of , who was also a painter. He en ...

. While there he received two gold medals, in 1889 and 1891, for scenes depicting ancient history. In 1891, he also enrolled in a special course in Orientalist painting taught by Leopold Müller. Čikoš Sesija-Salome

After Müller's death in 1892, he returned to Zagreb and participated in decorating the "Pompeian Room" at the local offices of the "Department of Education and Religious Affairs" (now occupied by the ""). His work there was supervised by the head of the department, Izidor Kršnjavi, who would become his patron and mentor. The first thing Kršnjavi did was send him on a study trip to Venice with Robert Frangeš-Mihanović and Ferdo Kovačević. This was followed by studies at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavari ...

with Wilhelm Lindenschmit. Čikoš Sesija then married his cousin Justine, then together embarked on another study trip to Italy. This was followed by more studies in Munich, with

Carl von Marr Carl von Marr (February 14, 1858 – July 10, 1936) was an American-born German painter whose work encompassed religious and mythological subjects, genre art, genre, and portraits. He was also a professor of art in Munich. Biography He was ...

, after which he settled in Zagreb, joining the circle of painters who gathered around

Vlaho Bukovac Vlaho Bukovac (french: Blaise Bukovac; it, Biagio Faggioni; 4 July 1855 – 23 April 1922) was a Croatian painter and academic. His life and work were eclectic, for the artist pursued his career in a variety of locales and his style changed great ...

. His mentor, Kršnjavi, was not happy about that, believing that Bukovac was a bad influence. This led to a conflict that caused him to leave Zagreb, in 1895, taking a job as a drawing teacher in Ogulin. A year later, he was back in Zagreb, with his own studio and reconciled with Kršnjavi. In 1902, he left Zagreb again; this time largely for economic reasons, and traveled to America with fellow painter

Robert Auer Robert Auer ( Zagreb, 27 November 1873 – Zagreb, 8 March 1952), was a Croatian Secession painter. Biography Robert Auer was born into a wealthy Zagreb family to Ferdinand and Amelija Auer. His brothers were the architect Bela Auer, and ...

. After a mostly unsuccessful year, he came back and opened a private art school, together with Menci Klement Crnčić. Four years later he, Crnčić, Auer, Frangeš-Mihanović, , Oton Iveković and Branko Šenoa would join together to help create the "Royal College for Arts and Crafts" (now the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of Zagreb). In his later years Čikoš Sesija became increasingly withdrawn. He died suddenly, while at his easel, working on a canvas called "The Death of Innocence".

Works

File:Marko Antonije nad Cezarom Bela Čikoš Sesija.JPG,

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

and Caesar's Corpse File:Odysseus-Čikoš Sesija.jpg,

Odysseus Odysseus ( ; grc-gre, Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, OdysseúsOdyseús, ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; lat, UlyssesUlixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the ''Odyssey''. Odys ...

Kills the Suitors File:Homer uči Dantea Shakespearea i Goethea pjevati.JPG, Homer teaches Dante, Shakespeare and Goethe to sing File:Bela Čikoš Sesija - Iz Danteova Pakla.jpg, From Dante's Inferno File:Dante pred vratima čistilišta Bela Čikoš Sesija.JPG, Dante Before the Gates of Purgatory File:Bela Čikoš Sesija - Dante.jpg, Dante and Beatrice File:Bela Čikoš Sesija - Judita i Holoferno.jpg, Judith and Holofernes File:Bela Čikoš Sesija - Ta-bu-bu.jpg, ''Ta-bu-bu'' File:Valpurgina noć Bela Čikoš Sesija.JPG, Walpurgis Nacht File:Bela Čikoš Sesija - Studija za Mrtvu stražu.jpg, Study of a dead guard File:Bela Čikoš Sesija - Poluakt žene.jpg, Half-Nude Female File:Bela Čikoš Sesija - Studija ženske glave.jpg, Study of a Woman's head File:Bela Čikoš Sesija - Ženski akt.jpg, Female Nude File:Pokrštenje Hrvata Bela Čikoš Sesija.JPG, Christening of the Croats File:Janko Kamauf (Bela Čikoš Sesija).jpg, Portrait of Janko Kamauf File:Bela Čikoš Sesija - Trijumf nevinosti.jpg, ''Triumph of Innocence''

References

External links

"Sve Beline žene: supruga Justina, sluškinja Dora, Slava Raškaj.."
(All of Bela's wives: Cousin Justine, maid Dora, Slava Raškaj...) by Patricia Kiš @ '' Jutarnji List''
"Slikar velikih ideja i velikih osjećanja"
(A Painter of Great Ideas and Great Emotions) Exhibition notes by Feđa Gavrilović, from '' Vijenac'', #467, January 26, 2012, @ Matica hrvatska
Search results
for Bela Čikoš Sesija @ '' Večernji List'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Cikos Sesija, Bela 1864 births 1931 deaths People from Osijek Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Art Nouveau painters Symbolist painters 19th-century Croatian people 19th-century Croatian painters 20th-century Croatian painters Croatian male painters Croatian people of Hungarian descent 19th-century Croatian male artists 20th-century Croatian male artists Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery

Biography

Works

References

Further reading

External links