Jano Köhler (sometimes spelled Jano Koehler; 9 February 1873 – January 1941) was a
Czech painter. He is known for decorating sacral buildings with
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
es and
sgraffiti.
Life and education
Köhler was born in a Czech-German family, but his German father died soon after. He showed interest in fine arts and went to study in
Prague. He graduated from
Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
(1893–1897) and
Academy of Fine Arts (1897–1900). During his studies, he gained valuable experience in the field of monumental painting, especially in the field of
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
es and
sgraffiti.
He was student of Kamil Hilbert,
Stanislav Sucharda,
Felix Jenewein
Felix Jenewein (4 August 1857, in Kutná Hora – 2 January 1905, in Brno) was a painter, illustrator and lithographer from Austria-Hungary. Many of his best known works have a somber tone.
Biography
His father was a clerk at a tobacco factory ...
,
Otakar Hostinský,
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 ...
and
Maximilian Pirner.
In 1899, he bought a house in
Nenkovice
Nenkovice is a municipality and village in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants.
Nenkovice lies approximately north-west of Hodonín, south-east of Brno, and south-east of Prague.
D ...
where he set up a studio, and moved here in 1901. From 1926 until his death he lived in
Strážovice. He died in a hospital in Brno in 1941 and was buried in Strážovice.
[
]
Work
Köhler was active mostly in Moravia, but he travelled to work all over the country. He created most of his works in Prostějov, where he received his first contract in 1900 to decorate Prostějov Castle. During his career he decorated 40 churches and 35 secular buildings. His work counts a total of 2,500 works, mostly with a religious focus. He created his own distinctive ornament
An ornament is something used for decoration.
Ornament may also refer to:
Decoration
* Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts
* Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals that appear to serve ...
, drawn from the sources of Moravian folk art.[
Köhler specialized in frescoes and sgraffiti, but he also worked with the ceramic mosaic technique. During his life he created or designed 40 mosaic works, including decoration of 11 ]Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...
on the pilgrimage Hostýn hill.
During the winter months, when work on the buildings was not possible, he devoted himself to designs for the warmer months, and occasionally dealt with watercolors, oil paintings, drawings, illustrations and graphics.[
His notable works include:
;In Olomouc Region
* Prostějov: Prostějov Castle – frescoes and sgraffiti; Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – frescoes
* Olomouc: Archbishop's Palace – fresco and sgraffiti; Chapel of Saint Jan Sarkander – frescoes
* Litovel: Gymnasium of Jan Opletal – design of ceramic mosaics with scenes from the history of the town
* Příkazy: Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius – decoration of interiors
;In Zlín Region
* Luhačovice: Jurkovič House – fresco of Saints Cyril and Methodius; ''Augustiniánský dům'' Hotel – frescoes
* Uherské Hradiště: Moravian Slovakia Museum – mosaic allegory of the seasons
*]Napajedla
Napajedla (; german: Napajedl) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Etymology
The town's name is derive ...
: town hall – ceramic mosaic; Church of Saint Bartholomew – decoration of interiors
* Uherský Ostroh: bell tower – sgraffiti
*Bystřice pod Hostýnem
Bystřice pod Hostýnem (; german: Bistritz am Hostein) is a town in Kroměříž District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,000 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Bílavsko, Hlinsko pod Hostýnem, Rychlov and S ...
: Church of Saint Giles – frescoes
*Chvalčov
Chvalčov is a municipality and village in Kroměříž District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,600 inhabitants.
Chvalčov lies approximately north-east of Kroměříž, north of Zlín, and east of Prague.
History
Th ...
: 11 Stations of the Cross on the Hostýn hill – ceramic mosaic
;In South Moravian Region
* Kyjov: Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary – sgraffiti; Kyjov Castle – sgraffiti
* Tišnov: Town hall – sgraffiti
*Blatnice pod Svatým Antonínkem
Blatnice pod Svatým Antonínkem is a municipality and village in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,900 inhabitants.
Geography
Blatnice pod Svatým Antonínkem is located about northeast of Hodon ...
: Chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua – two murals
*Oslnovice
Oslnovice is a municipality and village in Znojmo District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 70 inhabitants.
Geography
Oslnovice is located about west of Znojmo and southwest of Brno, and of the Czech-Austrian bor ...
: Chapel of the Sacred Heart – decoration of interiors
;In other Czech regions
*Štramberk
Štramberk (; german: Stramberg) is a town in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,500 inhabitants. The historic centre of Štramberk is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural m ...
: Church of Saint John of Nepomuk – decoration of interiors
* Semily: ''Obecní dům'' – ceramic mosaic
Awards
In 1928, Köhler was awarded '' Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' decoration by the pope for the lithography of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prostějov, which also appeared on postage stamps.[
]
Legacy
Streets in Prostějov-Vrahovice
Vrahovice is a village and administrative part of Prostějov in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,300 inhabitants.
Geography
Vrahovice lies in the Upper Morava Valley. The watercourses Romže, Hloučela and Valová flow t ...
and in Kyjov were named after him. There is a permanent museum exhibition about his life and work in Nenkovice
Nenkovice is a municipality and village in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants.
Nenkovice lies approximately north-west of Hodonín, south-east of Brno, and south-east of Prague.
D ...
.[
A documentary film about work of Jano Köhler was filmed in 2016.]
Gallery
Jano Köhler - Cyril a Metoděj.jpg, Lithography of Saints Cyril and Methodius
Uherské Hradiště, Slovácké muzeum, mozaika.jpg, Moravian Slovakia Museum in Uherské Hradiště
Hostýn-Jurkovičova-křížová-cesta2013benfoto8.jpg, Station of the Cross on Hostýn
Kohler kyjov.jpg, Sgraffito on Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Kyjov
Semily - Obecní dům - mozaika.jpg, Mosaic on ''Obecní dům'' in Semily
Sgrafita Kyjov Sv Cecha 04.jpg, A sgraffito on Kyjov Castle
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohler, Jano
1873 births
1941 deaths
Artists from Brno
People from the Margraviate of Moravia
Czech male painters
20th-century Czech painters
19th-century Czech people
20th-century Czech people
Czech people of German descent
20th-century Czech male artists