Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Šimon, Tavik František (T.F.) |
Title |
NOCTURNE A MORLAIX BRITTANY, FRANCE |
Date |
1930 |
Medium |
colored soft-ground etching and aquatint |
Place of Origin |
Czechoslovakia |
Culture |
Czech |
Object ID |
1995.146 |
Collection |
Modern Art (1900-1970) |
Object Name |
|
Credit line |
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William A. Small, Jr. |
Didactic Information |
Painter, etcher, and woodcut artist Tavik František Šimon was born in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, an environment of fantastic rock formations and ruins of medieval castles. He attended the Academy of Arts in Prague, where he was inspired by the neo-romantic approach of his mentor, Max Pirner. Upon graduation in 1903, Simon traveled in search of inspiration to such far-flung places as Italy, England, Bosnia, Croatia, New York, Spain, India, and Japan. In Paris, he became exposed to the Impressionists and the intensity of street life; in London, he was drawn to works of Turner, Constable, and Whistler; and in Japan, he learned about color aquatints. Simon was a friend of noted novelist Franz Kafka, and shared his interest in pensive scenes of solitude, which he captured in color aquatints in soft lines and subdued color harmonies. The quays, markets, boulevards, streets, and alleys were Simon's favorite themes, which he often depicted in the dark of night when the city is at its most dramatic. (February 2016) |