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Butterfly

Frantisek Kobliha

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-2071
Author: Frantisek Kobliha
Name: Butterfly
Country: Czech Republic
Technique: woodcut
Material: paper
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 9.8 x 14.5

Additionally

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

Information about author

Author: Frantisek 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 shows a decorative motif designed for book embellishment. The butterfly was a popular image in Art Nouveau culture. Two blooming daisies are depicted on the white background of the engraving. The right daisy is taller than the left one. At the bottom of both flower stems, there are elongated leaves. A butterfly with open wings is perched on the right daisy, covering its lower part. Identical black-and-white stripes run across the left and right wings of the butterfly. At the bottom of both wings, there are four wavy protrusions. There are legs and antennae on the front of the butterfly’s body.

Inscriptions

At the bottom of the engraving, in the centre against the background of leaves, there are initials: "FK". To the right beneath the engraving, there is a signature in black pencil: "F. Kobliha". In the lower left corner: "71".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Butterfly

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