Association of
Collectors
M. Jancakova
Miscellaneous
Mikolas Ales
born on November 18, 1852 in Mirotice
died on July 10, 1913 in Prague
The Czech painter Mikolas Ales was a master of
indian ink drawing. He surely is the most popular
artist of his country. In his pictures you find
the life and the spirit of old Bohemia from the
19th century. His childhood, the family and the
surrounding of the rural life in his native town
in Bohemia have been the starting point and the
roots of his work. Also the hussit tradition with
his simplicity, modesty and concentration on the
bible formed his character.
In Mirotice near Pisek he attended the elementary
and secondary school until his mother's death in
1869. Then he moved to Prague where he started a
study at the Academy of Fine Arts. In the
conservative system of this academy he din't find
any understanding for his artistic ideas. More
than from his teachers at school, he learned from
another great Czech artist - Josef Manes. Ales
belongs to the so-called "first generation of
the National Theatre". In taking part of a
contest for the decoration of the new built Czech
National Theatre at Prague, he created a cycle of
pictures entitled "Vlast" (Home) which
still today decorates the theatre. "Vlast"
was the first highlight of his artistic career.
In Prague, Plzen and other towns and cities of
Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia he decorated houses
by stucco pictures. At the end of his life,
someone could count more than 5000 published
pictures in magazines and books, on target butts,
diploma documents, calendars, invitation-cards,
playing-cards, birthday-cards and regular postal
cards.
Batz, Gerhard: Lexikon tschechischer und
slowakischer Briefmarkenkuenstler, 2002
Email ivanbohac@seznam.cz