Jiřincová Ludmila

Born on May 9, 1912, in Prague. Died on January 22, 1994.

1924–1934: studied at Rudolf Vejrych's private painting school in Prague

1934–1935: attended the State Technical Ceramics School in Prague under Professor Václav Vokálek

1936–1939 studied graphic arts at the Academy of Fine Arts under T. F. Šimon

Ludmila Jiřincová was an important Czech graphic artist, painter and illustrator. She illustrated around 360 books, particularly poetry collections. She received numerous awards for her work, including the Most Beautiful Book of the Year prize. In 1964, she received an award for the most beautiful book cover in New York, and in 1972, she received a special award for illustration in Bologna. She became a full member of the Hollar Association of Czech Graphic Artists in 1942, although she had collaborated with them previously. During her lifetime, she created over 1,200 prints. She often discovered new possibilities in graphic techniques, such as asphalt lithography, which she started using in 1945. Her work on bookplates, to which she devoted herself from 1939 to 1992, was significant. She created over 480, mainly using etching and lithography. Her bookplates predominantly feature girls' heads, female nudes and motifs from nature, but she also incorporated motifs from her illustrations. Young women were the primary focus of her artistic work and also appeared as symbols of the human condition. However, the motif of a boat frequently recurred in Jiřincová's work as a symbol of the uncertain journey of life and man's desire for the unknown and the unknowable. She also frequently depicted the eye as a symbol of the window to the soul. Her work has been described as dreamlike, mysterious and full of longing. She said that she primarily sought to express "the truth of her feelings".