The Passion of Collecting Academic Nudes

Join me as we explore my collection of Academic Nudes from the 18th, 19th, and Early 20th Centuries and serendipitous finds in the Museum, Art Auction, and Gallery world......examples from the Golden Age of the European Academie


Thursday, November 18, 2010

Anton Romako (1832-1889) Female Nudes - Pen and Ink Drawing


Portrait of Anton Romako...
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There are times when it just doesn't pay to get up in the morning. I found this little gem on a German Auction site today, and being the story of my life, I have spent all my play money for this month, not to mention the bronze I have committed resources to. Oh well. At least we can enjoy what could have been. Anton Romako (1832-1889) was a renowned Austrian painter who studied at the Academy in Vienna where Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller (1793-1865) snidely observed that "he had no talent at all." So much for Waldmuller's artistic judgement. Obviously Waldmuller needed glasses. Romako continued his studies in Munich with Wilhelm Kaulbach (1804-1874), who obviously thought more of Romako's potential. From 1857 onwards Romako worked as a painter in Rome. He lived in Rome for nearly twenty years and his work became very popular with the resident foreign colony in Rome. He returned to Vienna in 1876, with somewhat less success. His works are now regarded as precursors of Expressionism.
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Caption: Female Nudes (Double Sided Drawing)
Artist: Anton Romako (1832-1889)
Medium: Pen & Ink on paper with color washes
Dated: circa 1880
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Here are just a few of the works of Anton Romako:
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Madchenbilnis ...1888

Bauernmadchen aus der Campagna ... 1873

Dr. Karl Freiherr von Rokitansky

Italian Peasants ..

Italienishes Fischerkind ...1870

Kaiserine Elisabeth .. 1883

Matilde Stern .. 1886

Old Man With A Beard...
Hungarian Farm ...

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Tavik Frantisek Simon (1877-1942) Nude Male Youth - Nude Females

circa...1900

circa ...1912
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Portraits of Tavik Frantisek Simon in his studio
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Several years ago I ventured onto a Czech Auction site and almost died when I discovered that I had missed the auction by days for the three paintings listed below. A bad case of regrets quickly set in. I had never heard of the artist but I could tell from the works listed that he had more talent in his pinkie than I had in my whole body. The gods had indeed smiled upon this very talented man. He was born in Bohemia (then in the Austrian Empire), the youngest of seven children. Early on he showed talent for drawing and was recommended for a more extensive art education. At the tender age of seventeen he passed the entrance exams to the Academy of Arts and was accepted into the class of drawing and painting of Max Pirner (1854-1924), an acknowledged proponent of neo-romantic philosophical inclinations. At the Academy he developed a close friendship with Hugo Boettinger (1880-1934). He graduated from the Academy in 1900 and received two successive scholarships to travel. The first one he used to travel to Italy, and the second one he used to travel to Paris and London. This early exposure to
the richness of world renowned museum collections and art galleries displaying contemporary art made a distinct impression on his works. In Paris he was exposed to the art of the Impressionists and in London the works of the admired Pre-Raphaelites, Turner, Constable, and in particular, Whistler. He was definitely influenced by these greats but manages to develop his own unique style of a high artistic level. His primary interest lay in painting but he also loved the graphic arts, such as etching, aquatint, dry point and woodcut. The first decade of the twentieth century was an extremely productive period for Simon and a time in which he participated in numerous exhibits. In his later life he traveled extensively both in America and the Far East. In 1928 he was appointed a professor at the Academy of Arts in Prague to head the school of graphic arts. He took his responsibilities very seriously and devoted time to writing and publishing manuals, one dealing with etching and one with woodcuts. He died at his home in December 1942 from heart failure. Truly a remarkably talented artist.
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Nude Boy in the Forest ...

Female Nude..Front view

Female Nude ... Rear view
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Caption: Nude Male Youth, Female Academic Nudes
Artist: Tavik Frantisek Simon (1877-1942)
Medium: Oils on Canvas
Dated: Circa 1900
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Here are just a few examples of the prolific output of beautiful works by Simon:
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Portrait of the Artist's Sons....Ivan & Pavel