Tavik František Šimon (the Tavik, according to Wikipedia, was his mother's maiden name) was a Bohemian (now Czech) artist, whose work straddled two centuries. I was immediately drawn to him; he reminded me a bit of a Dutch favourite of mine, Anton Pieck, with muted colour and mobile, interesting lines. I've become more a fan of illustration these days, and most times I enjoy it as well as I do a really fine painting. The illustrators of his era, the turn of the 20th century, were real craftsmen as well as sophisticated workers in line and colour.
Apparently he was very well traveled, which definitely shows in his art. His choices of subject are international, and unlike many people who worked in 'oriental' subjects, his glow with both humanity and reality. I'm both pleased and intrigued to find that he had done a huge number of 'ex libris' plates; I'm an avid collector of old books, and these are a pleasant and often passed-over subgenre of art. He's excellent.
Apparently he was very well traveled, which definitely shows in his art. His choices of subject are international, and unlike many people who worked in 'oriental' subjects, his glow with both humanity and reality. I'm both pleased and intrigued to find that he had done a huge number of 'ex libris' plates; I'm an avid collector of old books, and these are a pleasant and often passed-over subgenre of art. He's excellent.
Be sure to visit T.F.SIMON.COM for many more images and infor on this great artist.
RSS Feed
