Tomáš Seidan (6 September 1830, 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 ...
– 4 December 1890, in Prague) was a Czech sculptor and art teacher.
Biography
He was one of nine children born to Antonín Seidan, an
engraver in Prague's
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
. He began studying sculpture with the brothers,
Josef and
Emanuel Max
Emanuel Max, after 1876: Ritter von Wachstein (19 October 1810, JanovToman Prokop, ''Nový slovník československých výtvarných umělců'' (New Dictionary of Czechoslovak Artists), Vol.2, Rudolf Ryšavý, Prague (1950) – 22 FebruaryMilo ...
. From 1843 to 1845, he was a student at the
Academy of Fine Arts, Prague
The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (; AVU) is an art college in Prague, Czech Republic. Founded in 1799, it is the oldest art college in the country. The school offers twelve master's degree programs and one doctoral program.
History
Starting ...
, where his primary teacher was the
genre
Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
painter,
Christian Ruben. This was during a period when there were a series of educational reforms, favoring
Realism over
Academicism
Academic art, academicism, or academism, is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. This method extended its influence throughout the Western world over several centuries, from its origins i ...
.
After 1849, he worked as a porcelain modeler in . In 1854, when the famous sculptor
Václav Levý
Václav Levý (also known as Wenzel Lewy; 14 September 1820 – 30 April 1870) was a sculptor in the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary. He was considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern style in Bohemia.
Biography
Levý was born in t ...
left for Rome, Seidan took over his workshop. There was, at that time, no sculpture studio at the Academy, so he gave private lessons. Some of his best-known students were
Josef Mauder,
Josef Václav Myslbek
Josef Václav Myslbek (20 June 1848 – 2 June 1922) was a Czech sculptor and medalist credited with founding the modern Czech sculpting style.Stech, V. V. Josef Vaclav Myslbek, Prague, 1954. Artia.
Life
Josef grew up poor in a suburb of Prague ...
and
Ladislav Šaloun. Myslbek would later assist Seidan with his works for the
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in Vienna. For twenty years, Seidan was also a Professor of modeling at the
Czech Technical University in Prague
Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) () is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic with 8 faculties, and is one of the oldest institutes of technology in Central Europe. It is also the oldest non-military technical universi ...
.
[''Svetozor'' 4, 12.12.1890 ]
He was a member of
Umělecká beseda, (a society for the promotion of the arts), and the Association of St.Luke, a painter's guild.
His most familiar statue is a memorial to the philosopher and historian, , 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 ...
; notable for its lack of idealization.
[Vojtěch Volavka, ''Sochařství devatenáctého století'' (Sculpture of the 19th Century), Výtvarný odbor UB, Praha, 1948] Also worth mentioning are his designs for the
Palacký Bridge, which were executed by Myslbek and are now on the grounds at
Vyšehrad
Vyšehrad (German: ''Wyschehrad,'' ''Prager Hochburg'', English: "upper castle") is a historic fort in Prague, Czech Republic, just over 3 km southeast of Prague Castle, on the east bank of the Vltava River. It was probably built in the 1 ...
.
References
Further reading
* Lubomír Sršeň, ''K autorství náhrobního pomníku Boženy Němcové, Sborník Památníku národního písemnictví'' (To the authorship of the tombstone of Božena Němcová, Proceedings of the Monument of National Literature). Roč. 34/2002
External links
Entry on Tomáš Seidan@ abART
@ Prostor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seidan, Tomas
1830 births
1890 deaths
Sculptors from Austria-Hungary
Czech sculptors
Artists from Prague
19th-century sculptors