By a Cradle

Gustáv Mallý prints bring together the villages, pastures and people of Slovakia in the first half of the 20th century: shepherds and grazing cows, mothers with children, weddings and musicians, the wooden houses of Ždiar below the Tatras and the parks of Petržalka. Mallý was one of the pioneers of modern Slovak painting and a teacher of the next generation. Our collection of fine art prints covers his paintings, drawings and studies.

About Gustáv Mallý

Gustáv Mallý was born in Vienna on 21 May 1879, where his father worked as a tradesman. When he was seven the family returned home to Skalica. He trained in Prague with the portrait and mural painter Karel Záhorský (1894–96), then at the School of Applied Arts and the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.

After a study trip to the United States in 1901–02 he married and settled in Trlinok (now Vinosady), and in 1903 helped found a group of artists in Žilina. In 1908 he moved to Pezinok, and in 1911 opened a private art school in Bratislava. His students included Ľudovít Fulla, Koloman Sokol, Ján Mudroch and Cyprián Majerník.

He was a founder of the Union of Slovak Artists in 1919. In 1941, on the nomination of Martin Benka, he became head of drawing and painting at the Slovak University of Technology, and in 1946 a professor at Comenius University. Ill health forced him to retire, and he died in Bratislava on 3 August 1952.

Style and Subjects

Mallý worked in both an academic and an Expressionist manner. His early pictures are carefully drawn and naturalistic; later his colour grew stronger and his brushwork freer, with simplified forms and a warm, earthy palette.

His favourite subject was the life of the Slovak countryside: work in the fields, herders at pasture, village celebrations and family moments. Landscapes of the Tatras, of Pezinok and of the parks across the Danube in Petržalka show his gentler, lyrical side.

Famous Works

• Self-Portrait (1924), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. The artist at the height of his career.
• At the Pasture (Na paši) (1940), Nitra Gallery. Herders and animals in a meadow, a favourite theme.
• Wedding Feast – Study for the Painting. A lively village celebration.
• Motif from Ždiar. The wooden village below the High Tatras.
• Spring in Petržalka. A park across the Danube from Bratislava in spring.
• Sunset in Pezinok. Evening light over the town where he lived from 1908.
• Sower. A farmer at work in the fields.

Decorating with Mallý Prints

Mallý's pastoral scenes suit a living room, kitchen or dining room with a country or cottage feel, especially with natural wood, linen and warm colours. His Tatra and Ždiar views are ideal for a cabin or a hallway.

The mother-and-child pictures and family scenes are lovely in a bedroom or nursery, and the park landscapes bring calm to a reading corner. Simple wooden or black frames suit his earthy palette.

FAQ

Who was Gustáv Mallý?

Gustáv Mallý (1879–1952) was a Slovak painter, teacher and organiser of exhibitions, seen as a pioneer of modern Slovak painting.

What style did Mallý paint in?

He worked in both academic and Expressionist styles, moving towards stronger colour and simpler forms over his career.

Who were Mallý's students?

His private school in Bratislava trained Ľudovít Fulla, Koloman Sokol, Ján Mudroch, Ján Želibský, Cyprián Majerník and others.

Where can I see Mallý's work?

Many of his works are in the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava. The National Gallery Prague and the Nitra Gallery also hold paintings.

Where is Ždiar?

A village below the High Tatras in northern Slovakia, known for its painted wooden houses. Mallý painted its people and buildings.

Related Artists

• Zolo Palugyay: Slovak painter of village life of the next generation
• Mikuláš Galanda: leading Slovak modernist of the next generation
• Jozef Hanula: Slovak painter of his generation
• Ladislav Mednyánszky: painter of the Tatras and Slovak landscapes