Hans Fronius

Hans Fronius (12 September 1903 - 21 March 1988) was an Austrian painter and illustrator.

He was born in Sarajevo in what was then Austria-Hungary (now Bosnia and Hercegovina). As a young boy, he witnessed the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, an event that would later form the subject of his book "Attentat in Sarajevo" (Assasination in Sarajevo).

After the First World War, Fronius's family moved to Graz in Austria. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. From 1930 to 1960, he taught art and projective geometry at a grammar school in Fürstenfeld, Styria. His leftist sympathies put his teaching position in jeopardy after the "Anschluss" and in 1943 he was drafted into the German army.

The art historian Otto Benesch called Fronius "the most significan Austrian illustrator since Alfred Kubin". [ [http://www.spaightwoodgalleries.com/Pages/Fronius.html Hans Fronius (Austrian, 1903-after 1986): Saul and David ] ] His work is considered an example of "expressive realism" and his subjects included portraits, street scenes, and literary subjects. He was one of the first to provide illustrations for the stories of Franz Kafka and also illustrated works by Edgar Allan Poe.

In 1966, Fronius was awarded the Grand Austrian State Prize and remained a prolific artist until his death.

References

External links

* [http://www.fronius-hans.com www.fronius-hans.com]
* [http://geschichte.landesmuseum.net/index.asp?contenturl=http://geschichte.landesmuseum.net/personen/personendetail.asp___id=1607573046 Biography at the Lower Austrian Museum] de icon
* [http://www.spaightwoodgalleries.com/Pages/Fronius.html Spaightwood Galleries] (Includes samples)