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Illustration for the "Story of the Rocky Mountains" by Edgar Allan Poe (From the Series "On the Poems and Writings by E. A. Poe")

Frantisek Kobliha

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-2106
Author: Frantisek Kobliha
Name: Illustration for the "Story of the Rocky Mountains" by Edgar Allan Poe (From the Series "On the Poems and Writings by E. A. Poe")
Date of creation: 1950–1952
Country: Czech Republic
Technique: lithography
Material: toned paper
Dimensions: 39.5 x 25 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: symbolic art
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 illustrates the "Story of the Rocky Mountains" by Edgar Allan Poe. In the foreground on the left, a tall, slender palm tree with leaves at the top is depicted. It is situated among a rocky landscape that frames the engraving on both the left and right sides. The viewer seems to be on a mountain between the rocks, looking at a distant city represented below by vague outlines of buildings that appear to dissolve in the haze. Sharp cathedral roofs rise high among the distant buildings, and on the right is a massive cathedral with a large round dome.

Inscriptions

In the lower left corner, there is the artist's monogram: "F. K.". On the left side beneath the engraving, there is an inscription: "С 26/26"; on the right: "F. Kobliha". In the lower right corner of the engraving, there is an inscription (faint) in Czech: "E. A. Poe, Pnidha z rozervanych hor – lito".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Illustration for the "Story of the Rocky Mountains" by Edgar Allan Poe (From the Series "On the Poems and Writings by E. A. Poe")

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