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Bela Čikoš Sesija | |
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| Born | Adalbert Csikos Sessia (1864-01-27)27 January 1864 |
| Died | 11 February 1931(1931-02-11) (aged 67) |
| Known for | Painting |
| Notable work | Dante series |
Bela Čikoš Sesija (bornAdalbert Csikos Sessia; 27 January 1864 inOsijek – 11 February 1931 inZagreb) was a CroatianSymbolist painter, art teacher and one of the founders of theAcademy of Fine Arts inZagreb.
Čikoš Sesija's father was a Captain in the border patrol of theAustro-Hungarian Empire.[1] One of the Čikoš' ancestors was a hero at theBattle of the Sesia in 1524 and, as a result, was knighted with the name "Sesija".
Due to his father's reassignments, the family moved frequently and his education was sporadic until he entered the Cadet School atKarlovac in 1874. After graduation, in 1882, Čikoš Sesija was assigned to the 78th Osijekinfantry regiment under BaronJosip Šokčević.[1] He moved up in the ranks quickly, becoming a full Lieutenant in 1886, but resigned the following year because he refused to help supportKároly Khuen-Héderváry's policy ofMagyarization.[2]
Despite having shown no particular aptitude for art, Čikoš Sesija enrolled at theAcademy of Fine Arts Vienna,[1] where he studied withJulius Victor Berger. While there he received two gold medals, in 1889 and 1891, for scenes depicting ancient history. In 1891, he also enrolled in a special course inOrientalist painting taught byLeopold Müller.
After Müller's death in 1892, he returned to Zagreb and participated in decorating the "Pompeian Room" at the local offices of the "Department of Education and Religious Affairs" (now occupied by the "Institute for Croatian History [hr]"). His work there was supervised by the head of the department,Izidor Kršnjavi, who would become his patron and mentor. The first thing Kršnjavi did was send him on a study trip to Venice withRobert Frangeš-Mihanović andFerdo Kovačević. This was followed by studies at theAcademy of Fine Arts, Munich withWilhelm Lindenschmit.
Čikoš Sesija then married his cousin Justine, then together embarked on another study trip to Italy.[1] This was followed by more studies in Munich, withCarl von Marr, after which he settled in Zagreb, joining the circle of painters who gathered aroundVlaho Bukovac.[1] His mentor, Kršnjavi, was not happy about that, believing that Bukovac was a bad influence.[citation needed] This led to a conflict that caused him to leave Zagreb, in 1895, taking a job as a drawing teacher inOgulin. A year later, he was back in Zagreb, with his own studio and reconciled with Kršnjavi.
In 1902, he left Zagreb again; this time largely for economic reasons, and traveled to America with fellow painterRobert Auer. After a mostly unsuccessful year, he came back and opened a private art school, together withMenci Klement Crnčić. Four years later he, Crnčić, Auer, Frangeš-Mihanović,Rudolf Valdec [hr],Oton Iveković andBranko Šenoa would join together to help create the "Royal College for Arts and Crafts" (now the Academy of Fine Arts at theUniversity of Zagreb).[2]
In his later years Čikoš Sesija became increasingly withdrawn. He died suddenly, while at his easel, working on a canvas called "The Death of Innocence".[1]
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