Karel Postl (; 9 November 1769 – 15 March 1818) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

painter. He had a career 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 ...

during the early 19th century. An instructor at the Prague Academy, he also served as a

scene painter Theatrical scenic painting is a discipline within theatrical production that includes creating scenery or backdrops by adding textures and depth. It encompasses a range of techniques, including Landscape art, landscape painting, figurative painti ...

for the

Estates Theatre The Estates Theatre (in Czech: ''Stavovské divadlo'') is a historic theatre in Prague, Czech Republic. The Estates Theatre was annexed to the National Theatre in 1948 and currently draws on three artistic ensembles, opera, ballet, and drama, w ...

. Most of his work was in the field of

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

, but a few paintings by his hand exist; some are in the collection of the

National Gallery in Prague The National Gallery Prague (, NGP), formerly the National Gallery in Prague (), is a state-owned art gallery in Prague, which manages the largest collection of art in the Czech Republic and presents masterpieces of Czech and international fine a ...

. Antonín Mánes was his main pupil.

Life

Postl was born into the family of a clerk of the Count Paar's

Bechyně Bechyně (; ) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

estate. He studied painting at the

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna () is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1688 as a private academy, it is now a public university. The academy is also known for twice rejecting admission to a young Adolf Hitler in 1907 and 1908. ...

. From the late 18th century, he set up a studio in

. He was promoted as the first director of drawing at the Academy by Czech patrons, but preference was given to Josef Bergler. From 1806 to 1817, that is, until his untimely death, he taught landscape painting and graphic vista at the

Academy of Fine Arts in Prague The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (; AVU) is an art college in Prague, Czech Republic. Founded in 1799, it is the oldest art college in the country. The school offers twelve master's degree programs and one doctoral program. History Starting ...

. His students included Josef Šembera,

Vincenc Morstadt Vincenc Morstadt (17 April 1802 – 19 February 1875) was a painter, illustrator and lawyer from the Austrian Empire. He was mainly a landscape painter, vedutist and author of many graphic prints and albums. Life Morstadt was born on 17 April ...

and Antonín Mánes. Then from 1804, Postl worked as a theatrical scene painter at the

, where he was later replaced by

Antonín Machek Antonín Machek (31 October 1775, Podlažice – 18 November 1844, Prague) was a Czech painter in the Classical and Biedermeier styles. He was best known for his portraits. Biography He was born into a family of tenant farmers. His father als ...

. He died prematurely of tuberculosis in 1818.

Work

His work blends

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthe ...

and

romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

patterns both Viennese and French (inspired by the likes of

Claude Lorrain Claude Lorrain (; born Claude Gellée , called ''le Lorrain'' in French; traditionally just Claude in English; c. 1600 – 23 November 1682) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Baroque era. He spent most of his life in I ...

and

Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter who was a leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythologic ...

). His landscape work was generally focused on panoramic views of Prague, which were often presented in graphic albums. He was also a skilled

portraitist A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better re ...

. He also participated in the creation of postcards for some spa towns. His paintings are shown primarily in the collections of the

National Gallery Prague The National Gallery Prague (, NGP), formerly the National Gallery in Prague (), is a state-owned art gallery in Prague, which manages the largest collection of art in the Czech Republic and presents masterpieces of Czech and international fine a ...

and the

City of Prague Museum The Museum of Prague is a museum serving the capital region of Prague. Its responsibilities include the management and presentation of collections documenting Prague’s past, as well as research into the history of the Czech capital and its pres ...

List of paintings

* New Avenues and the Church. Ursuline in Prague, 1800 (City of Prague Museum) * Panorama of Vienna, 1804 * Panorama of Prague From Tower Waterworks * Monastery of St. Anne Old Town * The Game of Chase in Prague * Royal Deer Park and Governor's Summer House, 1810 (City of Prague Museum) * View of Český Krumlov * Four Daytime Scapes (National Gallery) * Forest Landscape (National Gallery) * Portrait Postlová Wives Sewing, (National Gallery) * Allegory of Friendship and Gratitude, shooting target, 1812 (City of Prague Museum)

References

External links

* 1769 births 1818 deaths 18th-century Austrian painters 18th-century Austrian male artists Austrian male painters 19th-century Austrian painters 19th-century Austrian male artists Austrian graphic designers Czech painters Czech male painters Czech graphic designers Czech scenic designers 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in the Austrian Empire Painters from the Austrian Empire {{Austria-painter-stub

Life

Work

List of paintings

References

Further reading

External links