Jan Preisler (17 February 1872, in

Králův Dvůr Králův Dvůr (; german: Königshof) is a town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. Králův Dvůr creates a conurbation with Beroun. Administrative parts Villages of Karlova H ...

Registration record of birth and baptism
/ref> – 27 April 1918, 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 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 A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

, where he initially worked under

František Ženíšek František Ženíšek (25 May 1849 – 15 November 1916) was a Czech painter. He was part of the "" (Generation of the National Theater), a large group of artists with nationalistic sympathies. Biography He was born in Prague into a family of m ...

, 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 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 ...

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 best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...

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 Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

. In 1903, he became a teacher of nude drawing at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

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 style, but later came to prefer the allegorical approach of

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sy ...

. 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, best known for his distinctly stylized and decora ...

and Vojtěch Preissig, he experimented with

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

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

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 Academy of Fine Arts, Prague faculty 20th-century Czech painters Czech male painters 20th-century Czech male artists

Life

Work

References

Further reading

External links