Maximilian Pirner ( cs, Maxmilián Pirner; 13 February 1853 in

Sušice Sušice (; german: Schüttenhofen) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administr ...

– 2 April 1924 in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

) 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' Places *Czech, ...

painter. He was a member of the

Vienna Secession The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austri ...

, and associated with 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 inte ...

Life and work

He was enrolled from 1872 to 1874 at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Prague The Academy of Fine Arts, Prague ( cs, Akademie výtvarných umění v Praze; 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 on ...

and from 1875 to 1879 at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...

, where he studied with his countryman,

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 ...

. He remained in Vienna until 1887, although he was not an active participant in the local artistic community. At that time, he became a teacher at the Academy in Prague and was named a Professor there in 1896. Pirner's usual themes were classical mythology (such as his ''Medusa'' (1891) and ''Hecate'' (or ''Hekate'') (1901)) and the

macabre In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natur ...

(such as ''Sleepwalker'' (or ''Girl in Her Nightie Walks on the Window-Ledge'') (1878), ''Daemon Love'' (1893), and ''Allegory of Death'' (1895)). Pirner completed a number of sketches of female figures, many of them nudes. He also did stained glass windows and medals. Described by one critic as having achieved "mastery of the sinuous line". Pirner also had his detractors. One contemporary critic, while acknowledging Pirner's talent, considered him an "over-sophisticated mystic." Holme, Charles, ed. ''The Art Revival in Austria''. London: Offices of 'The Studio,' 1906, p. A xii.
full text from archive.org

Selected works

Maxmilian Pirner - v rozkvetu (1883-4).jpg, ''At the Heights'' (1883–84) Maxmilian Pirner - Milenci (1885).jpg, ''Lovers'' (1885) Maxmilian Pirner - medusa.JPG, ''

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...

'' Max Pirner, Homo homini lupus (1901), akvarel 960 x 474 mm, sbírka kresby Národní galerie v Praze.jpg, Homo homini lupus (1901) Maxmilian Pirner - potok (1903).jpg, ''The Stream'' (1903)

References

External links

Maximilian Pirner (1854 – 1929)
on Art Nouveau Society 1854 births 1924 deaths 19th-century Czech people 20th-century Czech people 19th-century Czech painters Czech male painters 20th-century Czech painters Members of the Vienna Secession People from Sušice 19th-century Czech male artists 20th-century Czech male artists {{CzechRepublic-painter-stub