Míla Doleželová (1922-1993)

COLOUR STUDY FOR AN ILLUSTRATION TO THE FAIRY TALE "HOW ŠARKÁŇ CAUSED MISCHIEF IN THE WORLD"

1969
Colour study for an illustration to a fairy tale from the cycle Singing Violins. Pencil, coloured pencil, pastel and gouache on handmade paper, 37.5 × 28.5 cm. This work represents a rare testimony to the draughtsmanship and confidence with which Míla Doleželová created not only illustrations for children’s books but also her monumental painterly compositions. The motif of the story about children discovered in a dragon’s cave, as well as scenes of a Gypsy wedding and other subjects, she treated with remarkable sensitivity to personal and social relationships, expressed through a carefully considered choreography of human figures and their mutual interactions. The study also clearly demonstrates her painterly method, rooted in the principles of classical painting and in a strong emphasis on the colour construction of the image. A fascination with colour and a deep interest in the fundamental themes of human existence—birth, life and its ultimate culmination—permeate her entire oeuvre. Her ability to achieve, even in the early stages of work, a difficult balance between detail and the overall composition—evident as well in her large-scale works—was praised in his diaries by her husband, the prominent graphic artist and painter Jiří Mareš.