Mikoláš Aleš was a Czech painter

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

.

Biography

Aleš was born in Mirotice

Mirotice

Mirotice is a town in the Czech Republic. It is known as the birthplace of Mikoláš Aleš, and of Benedikt Žák/Schack, the first performer of the role of Tamino in Mozart's world-famous opera The Magic Flute.-External links:* *...

 near Písek

Písek

Písek is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population of 29 909 .-About:Písek is usually called "The Athens of the South", although Athens is much more southerly, because it has many high schools and schools of higher education, e.g. the Film School in Písek...

, into a relatively rich family that was in debt at the time. He was taught history by his brother František until the latter's death in 1865; he expressed interest in painting at an early age. In 1879 he got married to Marina Kailová and moved to Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 where he continued his career in painting. He moved back to Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 to work on the new artwork at the Prague National Theatre along with other notable painters. Aleš died in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 at the age of 60.

Paintings

Aleš is estimated to have had over 5,000 published pictures; he painted for everything from magazines to playing cards to textbook

Textbook

A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...

s. His paintings were not publicized too widely outside Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

, but many of them are still available, and Mikoláš Aleš is regarded as one of the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

's greatest artists.

Legacy

Aleš is probably best known today as being one of the painters (the other being František Ženíšek

František Ženíšek

František Ženíšek was a Czech painter known best for his famous decorations of the Prague National Theatre foyer along with Mikoláš Aleš. In addition he painted the ceiling of the auditorium inside the theatre. He also contributed to the redecoration of the Prague National Museum.-References:...

) that redecorated the famous foyer of the Czech National Theatre

National Theatre (Prague)

The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...

. Aleš did gain fame during his lifetime, especially for his architectural artwork but his paintings were mostly only praised after his death. Now many streets in the Czech Republic are named after Aleš. Aleš's work, while not embraced by the German Nazis

Nazism

Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...

 who controlled the Czech lands

Czech lands

Czech lands is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Today, those three historic provinces compose the Czech Republic. The Czech lands had been settled by the Celts , then later by various Germanic tribes until the beginning of 7th...

 from 1938 to 1945, was used extensively for propaganda purposes by the later Communist

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

 regime especially during the 1950s. He was voted #89 in a 2005 poll

Nejvetší Cech

Největší Čech is the Czech spin-off of the BBC Greatest Britons show; a television poll of the populace to name the greatest Czech in history. The series was broadcast by the national public-service broadcaster, Česká televize...

 regarding the most important Czech.