Jan Preisler (17 February 1872, in Králův DvůrRegistration record of birth and baptism
/ref> – 27 April 1918, in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

) 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, he was considered to be a loner who preferred walks in the woods to playing with friends. His drawings attracted the attention of his headmaster and his parents soon received letters inviting them to send him for studies in Prague, with financial support. In 1887, at the age of fifteen, he began his studies at the School of Applied Arts, where he initially worked under František Ženíšek, but was later allowed to pursue his studies independently. After graduating, he shared a studio with Karel Špillar. During his time at the school, he had made contact with the Mánes Union of Fine Arts and became involved in its journalistic activities. In 1896, he provided the cover for the first issue of the association's magazine ''Volné Směry'' (roughly, ''Free Directions'') and served as its editor for several years. He travelled to Italy in 1902, helped design the posters for the

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( ; ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work ''The Scream'' has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inher ...

exhibition of 1905 in Prague and visited Paris in 1906, where he was influenced by the work of

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

. In 1903, he became a teacher of nude drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts and served as a Professor there from 1913 until his death. In 1914, he married Božena Pallas, from a local family involved in the production of handicrafts. They had two children. He died of pneumonia in 1918 and was interred in the family vault.

Work

Preisler originally painted in a

Neo-Romantic The term neo-romanticism is used to cover a variety of movements in philosophy, literature, music, painting, and architecture, as well as social movements, that exist after and incorporate elements from the era of Romanticism. It has been used ...

style, but later came to prefer the allegorical approach of

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

. In the late 1890s, under the influence of

Alfons Mucha Alfons Maria Mucha (; 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist. Living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, he was widely known for his distinctly stylized ...

and Vojtěch Preissig, he experimented with

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

. After the turn of the century, he attempted to express the ineffable and mysterious depths of the soul, filled with melancholy and desire, finding his inspiration in poetry. In addition to his canvases, he provided decorations for several buildings, including the Municipal House and the Hotel Central. Blacklake preisler

References

External links

ArtNet: More paintings by Preisler

Muzeum Moderního Umění: ''Easter'', by Preisler

Blue Mountain Project, Princeton: Volné Směry

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preisler, Jan 1872 births 1918 deaths People from Beroun District Deaths from pneumonia in Czechoslovakia Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague 20th-century Czech painters Czech male painters 20th-century Czech male artists Painters from Austria-Hungary Czechoslovak painters

Life

Work

References

Further reading

External links