Artuš Scheiner (28 October 1863 – 20 December 1938) 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, decorative artist and illustrator. He was known best for his precise
gouache
Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouach ...
drawing, mostly in
secessional style. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards and designs.
Biography
Scheiner was born in
Benešov
Benešov (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 17,000 inhabitants. The town is known for the Konopiště Castle.
Administrative division
Benešov consists of 15 municipal parts (in brackets population ...
on 28 October 1863. He was not classically trained in art. He began painting as a child and became passionate about art during high school. He originally worked as financial clerk at the Financial General 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 ...
.
Scheiner began his career with drawings in ''Lustige Blätter'', a weekly German humour magazine published in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, and other magazines in Germany, Austria and Hungary. From 1880, his drawings were published in humorous Czech periodical magazines such as ''Světozor'' (from 1897), ''Paleček'', ''Švanda dudák'', and ''Zlatá Praha''. He gradually built a reputation as a talented artist-humorist with a focus on the situational humour of everyday life. In 1902, now freelance, he illustrated his first book, a children's fairy tale ''Růženka a Bobeš'' by
Václav Říha. His black and white pen and ink line drawings in secessionist style gained him popularity and new contracts. He illustrated fairy-tale books from well-known authors such as
Božena Němcová
Božena Němcová () (4 February 1820 in Vienna – 21 January 1862 in Prague) was a Czech writer of the final phase of the ''Czech National Revival'' movement.
Her image is featured on the 500 CZK denomination of the Česká koruna.
Biography ...
's ''The Disobedient Kids'' and other Czechoslovak Fairy Tales,
Karel Jaromír Erben
Karel Jaromír Erben (; 7 November 1811 – 21 November 1870) was a Czech folklorist and poet of the mid-19th century, best known for his collection '' Kytice'', which contains poems based on traditional and folkloric themes.
He also wrote ''Pí ...
,
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales.
Andersen's fai ...
and others. In 1928, in the ''Romance about the faithful friendship of Amis and Amil'' by
Julius Zeyer
Julius Zeyer (26 April 1841 – 29 January 1901) was a Czech prose writer, poet, and playwright.
Personal life
Zeyer was born on 26 April 1841 in Prague. His mother, Elisabeth Eleonora (née Weisseles), came from a German Jewish-turned-Catholi ...
, his work also included soft erotic drawings. These books were also published in expensive high-quality graphic versions to emphasise the drawings.
He illustrated the ''Kulihrášek'' series, a series of comic books for children written by
Marta Voleská.
In 1930, he illustrated ''Podivuhodné příběhy barona Prášila'' by
Adolf Wenig. In 1933, the original fairy-tale illustrations were exhibited in the
Prague Central Library for the first time.
Scheiner died 20 December 1938 in Prague, aged 75.
Other works
His work included children's books, classic novels, advertising postcards, posters and even theatrical curtains. In 1895 he designed a puppet theatre for the children of his brother Josef Scheiner, who served as mayor of Sokol Prague, handcarving the wooden puppets in a completely new secession style. In the 1920s, his style led to cooperation with a puppet troupe in Prague. His stage curtain designs were used for line production in 1932 by the
J. R. Vilímek Publishing House as complete set for small home theatres that were fashionable in the period.
From 1911 to 1913 Scheiner's two oil paintings – Virgin Mary and child, Crucifixion on wood were on display at the Church of Saint John of Nepomuk in
Štěchovice
Štěchovice is a market town in Prague-West District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,200 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Štěchovice consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according ...
, Czech Republic.
Libraries database
*
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 ...
*National Museum Library CR / both illustrated books and original illustrations
Exhibitions and online collections
*2001 – "Water babies", Princeton University,
Cotsen Children's Library, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
*2006/2007 – Artuš Scheiner a secesní pohádková ilustrace (Artuš Scheiner & secession fairy tale illustration), Galerie výtvarného umění (Fine Arts Gallery), Cheb, Czech Republic
*2010/2011 – Staré pověsti české (
Ancient Bohemian Legends
''Ancient Bohemian legends'' () is a book by Alois Jirásek written in 1894. It describes events from Czech Republic, Czech history based on folk literature and some historical facts. The model was based on Chronicle of Hájek, Cosmas of Prague, ...
), Národní muzeum ČR (
National Museum
A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...
), Prague, Czech Republic
*2013 – Svět pohádek a příběhů (World of fairy tales and legends), Muzeum výtvarného umění (Fine Arts Gallery), Náchod, Czech Republic
*online – Albertina Gallery, Vienna, Austria
References
External links
Amaterskedivadio.cz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scheiner, Artus
1863 births
1938 deaths
People from Benešov
19th-century Czech painters
Czech male painters
20th-century Czech painters
19th-century Czech male artists
20th-century Czech male artists
Painters from Austria-Hungary
Czechoslovak painters
Burials at Olšany Cemetery