Silver Coin 200 CZK Karel Svolinský 100th Anniversary of Birth 1996 Standard

Karel Svolinský - 100th anniversary of his birth

The obverse side is dominated by the large state emblem of the Czech Republic placed at the upper edge of the coin. The name of the state "CZECH REPUBLIC" is in an unsealed copy at the lower edge of the coin in a hint of a necklace made of small flowers, which touches both sides of the state emblem at the top. The face value of the coin, 200 CZK, is placed in two lines below the national emblem.

The central motif of the reverse side is a characteristic bouquet of wild and meadow flowers in a vase with a folk motif. The motif is based on a drawing by Karel Svolinský on the 20 CZK banknote from 1949. The name 'KAREL SVOLINSKÝ' and the years '1896 -1996' are inscribed in the unsealed description at the bottom edge of the coin. The name of the painter and the graphic artist are separated by the image of a vase. The author of the design of the commemorative coin is the academic sculptor Vladimír Oppl. The initials of his name "VO" are placed to the right of the neck of the vase. The mintage was carried out by the Czech Mint in Jablonec nad Nisou, whose mark is placed on the obverse side of the coin in the middle above the state emblem.

Karel Svolinský was born on 14 January in Svatý Kopeček near Olomouc in the family of Karel Svolinský and Josefa Svolinská (née Axmanová) in the fairground shop No. 24.

According to the record in his baptismal certificate, he was baptized the very next day after his birth in the nearby Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. His godparents were his grandfather Ferdinand Axman and great-aunt Anna Schneider. Karel Svolinský came from a family in which artistic talents in combination with craftsmanship had already been exercised in several previous generations on both his mother's and father's side. His great-grandfather Vavřinec Axman created a carved nativity scene for the St. Anthony's Cathedral, and his son Ferdinand Axman, a painter of rooms and cemetery inscriptions and also a skilled autodidact, followed in his footsteps.

In 1919, Karel Svolinský enrolled to study at the State School of Art and Industry in Prague, where he studied under Štěpán Zálešák, Bohumil Kafka and František Kysela. In 1925, he designed the typesetting and eight full-page woodcuts for the publication of Karel Hynek Mácha's poem Máj. This project was to represent the State School of Arts and Crafts at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris. His work was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix. In the following years, Svolinsky continued to be interested in beautiful book editions, and by 1948 he had collaborated with almost all the major publishers (e.g. Jan Otto, Ladislav Kuncíř, Rudolf Škeřík, František Borový, Melantrich and the European Literary Club).

Between the two world wars, Svolinsky produced several outstanding designs and gained considerable recognition. Between 1928 and 1933 he created two stained glass windows for the Schwarzenberg Chapel and the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre in St. Vitus Cathedral. He also created other designs for the cathedral, namely two mosaics for the south portal, which were not installed until 1945. Svolinsky's decorations of the Czechoslovak House (1935-1938) were very popular. The first of Svolinsky's many exhibitions was held at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague in late 1935 and early 1936. Further exhibitions were organised in Czechoslovakia and abroad until the artist's death in 1986.

The revolutionary changes of 1968 had a significant impact on Svolinsky's life; he disagreed with the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops. This resulted in his dismissal from his teaching position at the Academy of Arts and Industry in 1970. In the 1970s and 1980s, Svolinský concentrated on work for church buildings (such as the stained glass windows in the Church of St. Procopius in Letovice near Brno or the interior decoration of churches in Činěvs, Dymokure and Chotěšice near Poděbrady). His paintings in this period are influenced by a significant change in style, an increasing tendency towards abstraction. Some of his studies for portraits dating from the beginning of this period are composed of unusual expression and existentialist touches. Svolinski's work was exhibited until his death, but only work that did not clash with the established image of the traditional artist. Karel Svolinský died on 15 September and his ashes were buried at the Slavín National Cemetery in Prague's Vyšehrad on 17 September.

Each silver coin in the Standard design is placed in a protective plastic capsule along with a certificate of authenticity from the CNB. The dark blue etui is included only in the Proof version.