Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Tavik Frantisek Simon: Letters Home

For those who remember my earlier post about the Czech artist Tavik František Šimon, I thought I would flag up a new book of interest, the first English translation of his Letters from a Voyage Around the World. This lively book was first published in Czech in 1928 but has been essentially unobtainable since. The translation is by David Pearson, with an introduction by the artist's grandson Michal Simon. I have an etching to share of a scene from Tavik Frantisek Simon's adventurous world trip, depicting beggars in Shanghai; it was published by the art revue Byblis in 1928.

Tavik Frantisek Simon, Au quartier Chinois (Chinese beggars, Shanghai)
Etching, 1928
Ref: Novak 480

For more information on the artist see the excellent Tavik Simon website here. This model of a single-artist website contains among much else a good selection of the drawings made by Simon on his travels in 1926 and 1927. The website for Letters from a Voyage Around the World is http://taviksimon.com, and the ISBN is  978-0-9924915-0-5.
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9 comments:

  1. Philip WilkinsonMay 7, 2014 at 9:04 PM

    Thanks, Neil, for highlighting once again the work of this excellent Czech artist. Clearly I'll have to add his letters to me 'to be read' bookpile. The artist's site is wonderful too – apart from all the works, there's a great page of images (from Simon's evocative pencil drawings to early and modern photographs) of our local Czech town, Cesky Krumlov, also known by its German name of Krumau.

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  2. AnonymousMay 8, 2014 at 7:39 AM

    Catharine Bentinck's Tavik F. Simon website is a true labor of love and indisputably the best source of information on Simon's life and work to be found on the Internet. I collect drawings, paintings, and prints by Simon related to his 1926-1927 trip to the Orient, and have contributed images of many of those items for display on her website.

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  3. NeilMay 9, 2014 at 10:28 AM

    Thanks, Phil. I'd missed the Cesky Krumlov images - it's interesting how little it has changed in the interim.

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  4. NeilMay 9, 2014 at 10:36 AM

    Thanks for dropping by, Darrel. I agree the T. F. Simon site is a real model of how such things can be done. Nice to be in touch with a fellow-admirer of his work.

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  5. Jane LibrizziMay 9, 2014 at 2:23 PM

    Neil,letters home, indeed. Judging by his subject matter, Simon was on the road a lot, and always with a sketch pad - or a phenomenal memory.

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  6. finsoniusMay 12, 2014 at 12:23 AM

    Thank you for your marvelous posts through the years.They are insightful and of tremendous help in furthering understanding and appreciation to all those interested in the world of prints.

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  7. NeilMay 12, 2014 at 10:36 AM

    Jane, I think you're right about the sketchbook constantly to hand - but of course the act of drawing also trains the eye to remember.

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  8. NeilMay 12, 2014 at 10:36 AM

    Thank you very much, Finsonius.

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  9. AnonymousMay 8, 2015 at 7:26 AM

    The recently published book 'T F Simon- Catalogue Raisonné and Biographical Sketch', published in private by Catharine Bentinck, is available. Please see information on the website www.tfsimon.com

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