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Butterfly

Frantisek Kobliha

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-2078
Author: Frantisek Kobliha
Name: Butterfly
Country: Czech Republic
Technique: woodcut
Material: paper
Dimensions: 10 x 14.4 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: decorative
Provenance: Gifted by Czech artists, 1971

Information about author

Author: Frantisek Kobliha
Author in the original: František Kobliha
Artist's lifetime: 1877–1962
Country: Czech Republic
Biography: Frantisek Kobliha (1877–1962) was a Czech graphic artist and art critic. In 1910–1912, he headed the SURSUM group, whose members were engaged in artistic, spiritual, and occult practices. The members of the group were considered the second generation of Symbolists. Frantisek Kobliha was also one of the most influential artists and art critics of the Czech publication "Moderni Revue". Kobliha was educated in Prague at the Umprum School of Applied Arts (1896–1899) and then at the Academy of Arts, where he studied painting under Frantisek Zenisek, a representative of the academic painting style. In his creative work, Kobliha abandoned colour for black-and-white tonal variations. He worked in the techniques of lithography, drypoint, and wood engraving. In addition, he worked as a book illustrator. During the 1920s, the artist published works by such authors as Julius Zeyer (1841–1901), Jiří Karasek (1871–1951), Jan Opolsky (1875–1942), Rudolf Medek (1890–1940), and others. Kobliha also worked on bibliographical editions of literary works published by Kamilla Neumannova (1874–1957), often using floral motifs and the story's central figure as a frontal painting. The artist's oeuvre is characterised by an atmosphere of introspection and the creation of imaginary compositions, although his creative heritage also includes realistic landscapes from Czech villages. The main series of works by Frantisek Kobliha: "Simple Motifs" (1908), "Tristan" (1909–1910), a series of landscapes of Prague (1914), a series of lithographs "Fantasies of Moonlight Nights" (1944–1946), etc.

Object description

The work is a decorative composition featuring a butterfly, which was commonly used to embellish books. In the centre of the composition, a butterfly with open wings is depicted on the trunk of a tree. The wings display an ornament: at the top and bottom of each wing, a depiction of a "peacock's eye" (a popular motif during the Art Nouveau period). Behind the tree trunk, elongated grass leaves are visible.

Inscriptions

In the lower left corner: "F.K.". To the right at the bottom beneath the engraving, in black pencil: "F. Kobliha". In the lower left corner of the sheet, there is a number: "80".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Butterfly

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