Ladislav Jan Šaloun (1 August 1870 – 18 October 1946) was a Czech sculptor of the

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 ...

period.

Life

Šaloun was born in 1870 in Prague and he studied in the studios of

Tomáš Seidan Tomáš Seidan (6 September 1830, in Prague – 4 December 1890, in Prague) was a Czech sculptor and art teacher. Biography He was one of nine children born to Antonín Seidan, an engraver in Prague's Old Town (Prague), Old Town. He began stud ...

and

Bohuslav Schnirch Bohuslav Bedřich Josef Schnirch (10 August 1845, Prague – 30 September 1901, Prague) was a Czech sculptor, designer, and preservationist. Biography Schnirch's father was the builder and engineer, , and his great-uncle, Bedřich Schnirch, des ...

.Ladislav Saloun
Grove Art, retrieved 5 November 2013 He was involved as an artist in the

Mánes Union of Fine Arts The Mánes Association of Fine Artists ( or ''S.V.U.''; commonly abbreviated as ''Manes'') was an artists' association and exhibition society founded in 1887 in Prague and named after painter Josef Mánes. The Manes was significant for its in ...

. This independent education allowed him to avoid the influence of

Josef Václav Myslbek Josef Václav Myslbek (20 June 1848 – 2 June 1922) was a Czech sculptor and medalist credited with founding the modern Czech sculpting style.Stech, V. V. Josef Vaclav Myslbek, Prague, 1954. Artia. Life Josef grew up poor in a suburb of Prague ...

, looking instead to the work of

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

. He was later admitted to the prestigious Czech Academy of Sciences in 1912 but never took training there. In 1927 he was appointed the civic artistic advisor for the city of Prague in 1927, and in 1946 was honored by being named a National Artist. Šaloun worked on his

Jan Hus Memorial The Jan Hus Memorial () stands at one end of Old Town Square, Prague in the Czech Republic. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus in the wake of the lost Battle of ...

on the Old Town Square 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 ...

for 15 years, from 1901 through 1915. During this time this commission required a much larger studio so he designed Šaloun's Villa where he lived and entertained. This house in

Vinohrady Vinohrady (until 1960 Královské Vinohrady, in English literally "Royal Vineyards" ) is a cadastral district in Prague. It is so named because the area was once covered in vineyards dating from the 14th century. Vinohrady lies in the municipal ...

is one of the outstanding proto-modernist buildings of its Prague district.Saloun's Villa
Svoboda Williams, retrieved 7 November 2013 He also produced similar Hus monuments for the towns of

Hořice Hořice (; ) is a town in Jičín District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,500 inhabitants. Administrative division Hořice consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 censu ...

(1911–1913) and

Libáň Libáň is a town in Jičín District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Libáň consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *L ...

(1925). His architectural sculpture for the

Municipal House Municipal House () is a civic building that houses Smetana Hall, a celebrated concert venue, in Prague, Czech Republic. It is located on Náměstí Republiky next to the Powder Gate in the centre of the city. History The Royal Court palace u ...

, finished in 1911, is one example of his collaborations with Czech architect Osvald Polívka. DvorakTomb

According to Cannon-Brooks, "From the beginning he was extremely prolific and his exceptional facility... led on occasion to a certain superficiality, for which he has been over-criticized." Šaloun is buried in the

Vyšehrad Cemetery Established in 1869 on the grounds of Vyšehrad Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, the Vyšehrad Cemetery () is the final resting place of many composers, artists, sculptors, writers, and those from the world of science and politics. The center ...

, not far from his bust of

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...

marking the composer's grave.

Architectural sculptures

* City of Prague Museum, with architects Antonín Wiehl and , 1895–1898 * Hlahol Building, Prague, with architect

Josef Fanta Josef Fanta (7 December 1856 – 20 June 1954) was a Czech architect and designer. He was a versatile artist with a wide range of interests. He is one of the most prominent representatives of Czech Art Nouveau architecture. In addition to his arc ...

, 1903–1906 * Hotel Europa,

Wenceslas Square Wenceslas Square (Czech language, Czech: , colloquially ''Václavák'' ; German language, German: ''Wenzelsplatz'') is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town, Prague, New Town of Pr ...

, Prague, with architect

Alois Dryák Alois Dryák (24 February 1872 in Brandýsek, Olšany – 6 June 1932 in Prague) was a Czechs, Czech architect and professor of ornamental design. Dryák is most famous for the design of the ornamental detail on Art Nouveau masterpieces such as ...

for the 1905 redesign * New City Hall, Prague, with Osvald Polívka, 1908–1911 *

, Prague, with Polívka, circa 1912 * allegorical Art Nouveau statues flanking the entrance to the Gallery of Modern Art in

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

, representing ''Trade'' and ''Harvest'' (the building was originally a credit institution), with Polívka * many other apartment houses and other buildings including Šaloun's Villa.

References

External links

Works by and about Šaloun
@ the

National Library of the Czech Republic The National Library of the Czech Republic () is the central library of the Czech Republic. It is directed by the Ministry of Culture (Czech Republic), Ministry of Culture. The library's main building is located in the historical Clementinum buil ...

"Kamenná díla sochaře Ladislava Šalouna"
(Stone works by Šaloun) @ Kámen
Biographical notes and works
@ AbART {{DEFAULTSORT:Saloun, Ladislav 1870 births 1946 deaths Artists from Prague People from the Kingdom of Bohemia Czech architectural sculptors Czech sculptors Czech male sculptors Art Nouveau sculptors 20th-century sculptors Burials at Vyšehrad Cemetery Sculptors from Austria-Hungary

Life

Architectural sculptures

References

Further reading

External links