Jan Preisler, one of the most eminent representatives of the generation of artists emerging on the scene in the 1890s, was born 150 years ago. As a member of the Mánes Association of Fine Artists, he participated in the organisation of a number of important exhibitions, for example of Edvard Munch in 1905, and also worked as the editor of the Volné směry periodical.
At the exhibition of the Mánes Association of Fine Artists in March 1903, Preisler displayed Painting from a Large Series that testified his leading position in the painting sphere and later was even identified as ‘the first Czech modern painting’. Preisler’s Self-Portrait dates from the same period. The thirty-year-old artist portrayed himself in an elegant suit that is in contrast to his nonchalant posture with his hands in his pockets and a cigarette, a popular symbol of trendiness at the time, in his mouth. The painter’s typical attribute – a brush or a palette – is missing. A closer look reveals that Preisler stands in front of a painting facing the wall which, as opposed to the self-confident pose of the artist, creates a kind of tension in the composition.
Both of the works are found in the permanent exhibition 1796–1918: Art of the Long Century in the Trade Fair Palace.
At the exhibition of the Mánes Association of Fine Artists in March 1903, Preisler displayed Painting from a Large Series that testified his leading position in the painting sphere and later was even identified as ‘the first Czech modern painting’. Preisler’s Self-Portrait dates from the same period. The thirty-year-old artist portrayed himself in an elegant suit that is in contrast to his nonchalant posture with his hands in his pockets and a cigarette, a popular symbol of trendiness at the time, in his mouth. The painter’s typical attribute – a brush or a palette – is missing. A closer look reveals that Preisler stands in front of a painting facing the wall which, as opposed to the self-confident pose of the artist, creates a kind of tension in the composition.
Both of the works are found in the permanent exhibition 1796–1918: Art of the Long Century in the Trade Fair Palace.
