František Bílek

Frantisek Bilek ( born November 6, 1872 in Chýnovská in Tábor, † October 13, 1941 ibid ) was Czech sculptor and graphic artist. He was one of the most impressive personalities of Czech symbolic sculpture of the time.

Life

František Bilek studied at the Academy in Prague and Paris. First, he wanted to be a painter and began his studies in 1887 at Maxmilián Pirner at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. It turned out that he is partially colorblind. In 1888 he moved to study sculpture under Professor Josef Mauder. Later he received a scholarship and continued his studies at the Académie Colarossi in Paris continued.

After graduating, he returned to his birthplace, and built up a studio, and later a second house in Hradcany ( Prague ) and went to live alternately in Chýnovská and Prague.

In 1897 he is member of the movement Karolická moderna, 1909 Artist Association ( Umělecká Beseda ).

Works

His work full of poetry, is directly related to the works of Ota Brezina. The spiritual nature of both artists went beyond the contemporary conventions. His statues were often related to the Bible, but were also by their detailed, naturalistic stone of stumbling. The first works he drew been to Paris. A part of his work was destroyed during the second world war by the Germans.

His sculptures mostly depict scenes from the New Testament dar.

His talent also left traces in the architecture to admire in his self-built villa in Prague.

Franz Kafka was in 1922 one of his great admirers and mentioned, for example, his ' undoubtedly matchless designs ' to some monuments.

• The path ( Cesta ), 1909

Sculptures

• Calvary a Orba each Nasi viny trest, 1892
• Orbou křížem, 1895
• Podobenstvím velkého Západu Čech 1898
• Ukřižovaný, 1897
• Electricity, jenz bleskem zasažen, po veky Horel, 1901
• Slepci, 1902
• Modlitba nad Hroby, 1905
• Mojžíš, 1905
• Comenius, loučící se s Vlasti, 1926