Teodor Ilić Češljar ( sr-cyr, Теодор Илић Чешљар) was a
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...
(then part of the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
) best known for being the creator of the ''Royal Doors'' from
Ostojićevo
Ostojićevo (, hu, Tiszaszentmiklós) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Čoka municipality, North Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (56.15%) with a present Hungarian minority (26.51%) and it ...
.
Biography
Češljar was born in 1746 in
Čurug
Čurug () is a village located in the municipality of Žabalj, Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 8,166 inhabitants (as of 2011 census).
Name
In Se ...
and died on November 20, 1793, at age 47 in
Bačko Petrovo Selo
Bačko Petrovo Selo ( sr-cyr, Бачко Петрово Село; Hungarian: ''Péterréve'', German: ''Batschko Petrovo Selo'') is a village located in the Bečej Municipality, in the South Bačka District of Serbia. It is situated in the Auton ...
(both now in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
). It is assumed that he learned to paint from famous masters of
Timișoara
), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor)
, image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg
, map_caption = Location in Timiș County
, pushpin_map = Romania#Europe
, pushpin_ ...
and
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
, where he lived in 1769. His first known work was a painting of four evangelists on church belfry in
Buda
Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...
in 1776 on which he worked together with colleague painter Mihailo Skokolović. According to so some older biographers, Češljar enrolled in
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 ...
in 1786. He worked on his first
iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
in 1789 in the church of
Mokrin
Mokrin ( sr-cyr, Мокрин) is the largest village in the Kikinda municipality, in the North Banat District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (83.47%) with a present R ...
; after that, he worked in
Velika Kikinda
Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; hu, Nagykikinda) is a city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia . The city urban area has 38,069 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 59,453 inhabitants.
The c ...
and Stara
Kanjiža
Kanjiža ( sr-Cyrl, Кањижа, pronounced ) formerly Stara Kanjiža ( sr-cyrl, Стара Кањижа; yi, קניזשא; hu, Magyarkanizsa, formerly ''Kanizsa'') is a town and municipality located in the North Banat District of the autonomous ...
in 1791, and in Bačko Petrovo Selo from 1792 to 1793, when he died. Alongside this, he drew several icons for the lower church in
Sremski Karlovci
Sremski Karlovci ( sr-cyrl, Сремски Карловци, ; hu, Karlóca; tr, Karlofça) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Danub ...
and
iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
of Kovilj monastery which was destroyed in 1848.
According to quotes from Teodor Ilić Češljar biographies,
he was a great colorist and exceptionally inventive in composure. He didn't always paint in the style of
baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
. He, as his coeval, leaned to softer and more gentle colors, silky facture glaze painting just like French masters of
Rococo
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
. There is no accurate information about all of the portraits painted by Teodor Ilić Češljar, but it is certain that his works include portraits of bishop Pavle Avakumović (1789), portrait of an unknown priest (
National Museum of Serbia
The National Museum of Serbia ( sr, / ) is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the central zone of Belgrade on a square plot between the Republic Square, formerly Theatre Square, and three streets: Čika Ljubina ...
), portrait of Josif Jovanović Šakabenta (1787, Museum of
Vršac
Vršac ( sr-cyr, Вршац, ; hu, Versec; ro, Vârșeț) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011, the city urban area had a pop ...
) and large number of ecclesiastical portraits. On these portraits, Češljar proved to be a master of drawing and also a subtle and aesthetic colorist as he did with icons.
His famous painting of
Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an Early Christianity, early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Acc ...
Anguish
Anguish (from the Latin ''angustia'' "distress") is "extreme unhappiness caused by physical or mental suffering." The feeling of anguish is typically preceded by a tragedy or event that has a profound meaning to the being in question. Anguish can ...
(1785) was drawn for Bishop of
Nagyvárad
)
, blank2_name_sec1 = Patron saint
, blank2_info_sec1 = Saint LadislausVenetian decorative painters. Two wall paintings in
Kikinda
Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; hu, Nagykikinda) is a city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia . The city urban area has 38,069 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 59,453 inhabitants.
The c ...
show even more intentions for Venetian painting. They are ''The Last Supper'' and ''Christ in Eclat''.
A street in Kikinda is named after him.
See also
*
List of Serbian painters
This is a list of notable Serbian painters.
A
* Nikola Aleksić (1808–1873)
* Dimitrije Avramović (1815–1855)
* Ljubomir Aleksandrović (1828–1890)
* Stevan Aleksić (1876–1923)
* Dragomir Arambašić (1881–1945)
* Stojan Aralica ...