Miloslav Troup (June 30, 1917, Hořovice – February 22, 1993, Prague) was a Czech painter, illustrator, graphic artist and typographer. In his free work, he developed a lyrical-symbolic style that places him in the circle of the Second Paris School (Nouvelle École de Paris). His work combines delicate color, ornamental rhythm and spiritual themes. During his stay in Paris, he understood the legacy of Cubism and Fauvism in order to create a unique and unrepeatable picture of the world from this rich material. He was the author of illustrations for more than 140 book titles, a designer of stained glass windows and tapestries. His works are represented in important Czech, Moravian and foreign collections.

 

Life

Troup was born into a family of a railway inspector as the middle of seven children. He spent his childhood in Hořovice and later in Hluboká nad Vltavou, where his strong connection to South Bohemia was formed. After incomplete grammar school, he studied at the State Graphic School in Prague (1934–1936), majoring in bookbinding. He subsequently graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague (1936–1942) under Prof. Jaroslav Benda, where he focused on book graphics. In 1945, he received a scholarship from the French government and studied in Paris at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs under François Desnoyer and at the École des Beaux Arts under Maurice Brianchon.

In Paris, his friend and mentor was the art historian Václav Nebeský, who, together with the French critic Pierre Descargues, helped Troup establish contacts with important artists of the time, such as Oscar Dominguez, André Lhote, Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso and Serge Poliakoff. His studio in the Parisian district of Ivry was also visited by František Kupka. Thanks to these contacts, Troup was able to actively participate in the artistic life of Paris. This opened the door not only to inspiration, but also to professional growth in the artistic environment, which fundamentally influenced Troup's orientation and overall artistic direction.

During his stay in Paris, he gradually became close to the circle of the Second Paris School. He exhibited with the collectives Peintres d'aujourd'hui and Jeune École de Paris. He received opportunities to illustrate and his artistic career was heading for a remarkable rise. However, at the end of the 1940s, events connected with the beginning of the Cold War entered Troup's life. He was faced with the decision of whether to continue his promising career as a painter in France or to abandon it and return to Czechoslovakia, which after 1948 became a communist dictatorship controlled from Moscow. Despite the warnings of his family and the fact that great prospects were opening up for him in Paris, Miloslav Troup's longing for home prevailed and at the beginning of 1950 he returned to Czechoslovakia.

After returning to Prague, he faced misunderstanding and rejection of his modern artistic vision. Nevertheless, he continued to work in his studio on Veleslavín Street. His relationship with literature, history, fairy tales, legends and children's literature directed him towards book illustration, which became an important part of his work. In the 1960s, he married the painter Marie Vindišová and moved to Mala Strana. This marked the beginning of his long-term work on the monumental set of canvases of the Prague Cycle. In the 1960s, Troup established cooperation with the Alšova South Bohemian Gallery in Hluboká nad Vltavou and designed a series of tapestries for it. He regularly visited the family of his brother Zdeněk, a pharmacist from Prachatice. From foreign travels

His work was influenced by Croatian Dalmatia and later northern Italy, which he repeatedly visited in connection with his ailing wife's medical stays. February 22, 1993 MILOSLAV TROUP dies in Prague, buried in the cemetery in Prachatice.