Švabinský, Max

Born Sept. 17, 1873, in Kroměříž; died Feb. 10, 1962, in Prague. Czech graphic artist and painter. People’s Artist of Czechoslovakia (1945).

Šavabinský attended the Prague Academy of Fine Arts from 1891 to 1898. He was an easel painter, a painter of murals, and a stained-glass artist. He became particularly famous, however, for his graphic work, which included drawings in pencil, ink, and charcoal, and for his engravings, which included lithographs, etchings, drypoint, mezzotints, and wood engravings.

Although influenced by symbolism, Švabinský generally preferred life-affirming, romantic subjects. Characteristic of his work are compositions in which luxuriant natural scenes are populated by real or fairy-tale, allegorical characters; such works include The Tiger Hunt (drypoint, 1914) and The Harvest (drypoint, 1927). Landscapes imbued with emotion and portraits are also characteristic.

Švabinský is known for his portraits of Czechoslovak cultural figures, such as J. Mánes (wood engraving, 1917) and J. Fučik (drypoint, 1950). In addition, he illustrated works by such writers as V. Hugo (1944) and S. P. Shchipachev (1955). Švabinský received the State Prize of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in 1952.