František Ženíšek (25 May 1849 – 15 November 1916) was a Czech painter. He was part of the "" (Generation of the National Theater), a large group of artists with nationalistic sympathies.

Biography

He was born in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

into a family of merchants and displayed an affinity for art at an early age. Reluctantly his father agreed to let him pursue his interests and allowed him to take lessons from Karel Javůrek while he was still in school.Brief biography
@ Filmová Databáze. From 1863 to 1865, he was at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

, studying with Eduard von Engerth. After a brief stay in Vienna, assisting Engerth with work at the State Opera, he was back at the Academy in Prague, working with Jan Swerts and the history painter

Josef Matyáš Trenkwald Josef Matyáš Trenkwald (also known as Joseph Matthias Trenkwald, german: Josef Mathias (von) Trenkwald; 13 March 1824 — 28 July 1897) was a Czech-Austrian painter. He was best known for his religious and historical paintings. Biography Jos ...

.Informační systém abART: Ženíšek František
@ AbArt In 1875, he received his first major commission; painting murals at the city hall in

Courtrai Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larges ...

, Belgium.Brief biography
@ ArtMuseum.cz Then, in 1878, while making a study trip to Paris, he gained an important friend and supporter in Josef Šebestián Daubek, a well-known patron of the arts, who engaged him to decorate his home in Liteň. Ženíšek later accompanied Daubek on his honeymoon to Holland, and painted a portrait of the new couple. Soon after returning from Paris, he and

Mikoláš Aleš Mikoláš Aleš (18 November 1852 – 10 July 1913) was a Czech painter. Aleš is estimated to have had over 5,000 published pictures; he painted for everything from magazines to playing cards to textbooks. His paintings were not publicized t ...

won a competition to decorate the foyer of the National Theater with historic and allegorical designs. Ženíšek went on to decorate the auditorium ceiling and design a curtain, although the curtain was destroyed by a fire in 1881. He also painted windows at the church in

Karlín Karlín (german: Karolinenthal) is a cadastral area of Prague, part of Prague 8 municipal district, formerly an independent town (which became part of Prague in 1922). It is bordered by the river Vltava and Holešovice to the north, Vítkov ...

and lunettes at the National Museum as well as over 80 portraits. From 1885 to 1896, he was a professor at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, where his assistant was Jakub Schikaneder. Then, from 1896 to 1915, he was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, where his students included Jaroslav Špillar and

Jan Preisler Jan Preisler (17 February 1872, in Králův Dvůr – 27 April 1918, in Prague) was a Czech painter and art professor. Life Jan Preisler’s family worked in the local iron foundry and he attended the nearby primary schools. From an early age ...

. In 1898, he was one of the founders of "" (Union of Fine Artists), in an effort to strengthen the Czech nationalist viewpoint in the arts. Ženíšek died on 15 November 1916, in Prague. His son, František (1877–1935) was also a painter of some note.František Ženíšek the younger
@ ArtNet.

Selected paintings

File:Ženíšek.portreto.de.Descartes.jpg, Portrait of

René Descartes René Descartes ( or ; ; Latinized: Renatus Cartesius; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science. Ma ...

, after Frans Hals File:Ženíšek.opona.ND.jpg, Study for the curtain in the National Theatre File:Ženíšek.Oldřich.a.Božena.jpg, '' Oldřich and Božena'' File:Josef Šebestián Daubek.jpg, Portrait of Josef Daubek

References

External links

Oldřich and Božena
a video from

Česká televize Czech Television ( cs, Česká televize, italics=no ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting seven channels. Established after the Velvet Revolution in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslov ...

* Tony Ozuna, "Visual historian of a nation" from the Prague Post, 200

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zenisek, Frantisek 1849 births 1916 deaths Artists from Prague History painters Czech nationalism 19th-century Czech painters Czech male painters 20th-century Czech painters Burials at Olšany Cemetery 19th-century Czech male artists 20th-century Czech male artists Academic staff of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links