František Seraf Sequens (; 21 November 1836 – 14 June 1896) was a Czech church and

history painter History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek mythology, Greek and Roman my ...

Biography

Sequens was born on 21 November 1836 in

Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...

. After completing his primary education at the

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

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 ...

, he became a student 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 ...

. The following year (1854), he transferred to the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

, where he studied with Wilhelm Kaulbach. Later, he attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. His principal instructor there was

Joseph van Lerius Joseph Henri François Van Lerius (23 December 1823, Boom, Antwerp – 29 February 1876, Mechelen) was a Belgian painter in the Romantic-Historical style. Life Van Lerius was born in Boom, Antwerp, on 23 November 1823. In 1838, he was alrea ...

. In 1860, he returned briefly to Prague. He then spent seven years in Rome; by courtesy of a scholarship. He initially created history paintings, but eventually became associated with the

Nazarene movement The epithet Nazarene was adopted by a group of early 19th-century German Romantic painters who aimed to revive spirituality in art. The name Nazarene came from a term of derision used against them for their affectation of a biblical manner of c ...

and devoted himself entirely to religious works. Many of his portraits of saints were stylized after Early Roman and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

models. He returned to Plzeň in 1868, where he married the daughter of a local pianist, Josef Gerlach. They settled in Prague and he developed a working relationship with the architect,

Josef Mocker Josef Mocker (22 November 1835 in Cítoliby – 15 November 1899 in Prague) was a Bohemian architect and restorer who worked in a purist Gothic Revival style. Overview Mocker was responsible for restoring many Bohemian castles and ancient bui ...

. In 1880, he succeeded

Jan Swerts Jan Swerts (25 December 1820, Antwerp - 11 August 1879, Marienbad) was a Belgium, Belgian painter of historical subjects and portraits who worked on many publicly funded commissions. He played a major role in introducing German Romanticism, Roma ...

as Professor of Religious and History Painting at the Prague Academy. He also served as Rector there for the years 1882 to 1883, 1884 to 1885, 1886 to 1887 and 1890 to 1893. His lectures were very popular. Of his ninety-eight students, the best known include

Luděk Marold Luděk Alois Marold (7 August 1865, Prague – 1 December 1898, Prague) was a Czech painter and illustrator, best known for his panorama depicting the Battle of Lipany. It is the largest painting in the Czech Republic and currently has its own pav ...

František Kupka František Kupka (23 September 1871 – 24 June 1957), also known as ''Frank Kupka'' or ''François Kupka,'' was a Czech painter and graphic artist A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, eit ...

Viktor Oliva Viktor Oliva (24 April 1861 – 5 April 1928) was a Czechs, Czech Painting, painter and illustrator. His most famous painting, ''Absinthe Drinker'' (), is owned by Zlata Husa Gallery Prague and hangs there. Life and work Viktor Oliva was a ma ...

, and

Maxmilián Pirner Maximilian Pirner (; 13 February 1854 – 2 April 1924) was a Czech painter. He was a member of the Vienna Secession, and associated with the Mánes Union of Fine Arts. Life and work Pirner was born on 13 February 1854 in Sušice. He was enrolle ...

. After 1875, he was a member of the Christian Academy and headed the art department there. He was also an active member of the committee for planning the renovation of St. Vitus Cathedral. From 1880, he sat on the supervisory commission for the

City of Prague Museum The Museum of Prague is a museum serving the capital region of Prague. Its responsibilities include the management and presentation of collections documenting Prague’s past, as well as research into the history of the Czech capital and its pres ...

. He was elected a member of the in 1890. Sequens died on 14 June 1896 in Prague, at the age of 59.

Sources

Biography
@ the ''

Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich'' (English, ''Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire'') (abbreviated ''Wurzbach'' from the author's surname) is a 60-volume work, edited and published by Constantin von Wurzbach, cont ...

'' (in

fraktur Fraktur () is a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. It is designed such that the beginnings and ends of the individual strokes that make up each letter will be clearly vis ...

)
''Zlata Praha'' 1895/96, Vol. 12, pg. 381

''Svetozor'' 1895/96, Vol. 33, pg. 395

''Humoristicke listy'' 29, 1887, Vol. 14, pg. 112
*

External links

Sequens @ abART
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sequens, Frantisek 1836 births 1896 deaths Czech painters Religious painters Academy of Fine Arts in Prague alumni Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague Artists from Plzeň