Oskar Alexander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oskar Alexander
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| Born | 20 February 1876 |
| Died | 16 April 1953 (aged 77) |
| Nationality | Croat |
| Alma mater | Academy of Fine Arts Vienna |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Spouse(s) | Gerda (née Schneefuss) Alexander |
| Children | Liselotte (b. 1922) |
| Relatives | Viktor Alexander (stepbrother) Samuel David Alexander (cousin) Šandor Alexander (cousin) |
Oskar Artur Alexander (born February 20, 1876 – died April 16, 1953) was an important Croatian painter and professor. He was born in Zagreb, which is now in Croatia. Oskar Alexander was known for his detailed and realistic paintings.
Contents
Oskar's Family and Early Life
Oskar Alexander was born into a well-known Jewish family in Zagreb. His father, Ljudevit Alexander, came from Güssing, Austria. His mother, Ida Weiss, was from Karlovac. Her father, Maksimilijan Weiss, worked for the Croatian leader Josip Jelačić.
Oskar had several brothers and sisters. His stepbrothers were Viktor and Erich. He also had brothers named Artur and Robert Milan, and two sisters, Gizela and Olga. Two of his cousins, Samuel David Alexander and Šandor Alexander, were famous business owners in Croatia.
Oskar married Gerda Schneefuss, who was from Vienna. They had one daughter named Liselotte, born in 1922. Oskar lived in different places, including Zagreb, Samobor, and Vienna. In Vienna, his neighbor was the famous writer Hugo von Hofmannsthal.
Becoming a Painter
From 1894 to 1899, Oskar studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in Vienna. His teachers were Franz Rumpler and Franz von Matsch. He also studied in Paris at the Académie Julian. There, he learned from famous artists like Eugène Carrière and James Abbott McNeill Whistler.
Life in Paris was exciting for Oskar, even though he often didn't have much money. At first, he even slept in a corner of the art studio. While in Paris, he met and painted portraits of important people. These included the writer Émile Zola and the famous author Oscar Wilde.
In Paris, Oskar also spent time with Croatian writer Antun Gustav Matoš. They even shared a room. Oskar helped start the "Association of Croatian Artists" with other painters like Vlaho Bukovac. In 1900, he showed his artwork in Paris and Munich.
From 1908, Oskar was an active member of an art group called Hagenbund. In 1912, the government of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia named him a Professor of Fine Arts. Oskar was also friends with the Croatian politician Slavko Cuvaj.
Art During Wartime and Later Years
During World War I, Oskar Alexander worked as a war painter. He would sketch scenes on the battlefield and later turn them into paintings. Because of his work, he received a medal from Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.
Oskar painted many important people throughout his life. These included Engelbert Dollfuss and Vladko Maček. He even painted Josip Broz Tito in 1948, when Tito visited Oskar's sister in Samobor.
In 1937, Oskar held a large art show in Vienna. He displayed 138 paintings, and the exhibition was opened by Alexander Löhr.
Later Life and Passing
Oskar Alexander passed away on April 16, 1953, in Samobor. He had lived through the difficult times of World War II and the Holocaust. These events deeply saddened him. He felt disappointed by some people he had helped.
Oskar once wrote about his feelings: "Yet in the world it has never happened, to one who has shown so much patriotism, that he is not acknowledged in his homeland, as it happened to me..."
