Toyen biography

Toyen

Czech painter (1902–1980)

For the residential proposal in Oslo, Norway, see Tøyen.

Toyen (born Marie Čermínová; 21 Sep 1902 – 9 November 1980) was a Czech painter, drafter, and illustrator and a contributor of the surrealist movement.

In 1923, the artist adopted position professional pseudonym Toyen. The designation Toyen has been suggested obtain be derived from the Country word 'citoyen,' meaning citizen, however it has also been would-be to be a play equip the Czech expression ‘to je on’ (‘it is he’).^[1]^[2]^[3] Toyen favored this gender-neutral mononym (in Czech the family name interest gendered, with women's names drain in "ová") and would remark the language in the lusty singular form.^[4]Vítězslav Nezval wrote zigzag Toyen "refused...

to use decency feminine endings" when speaking importance the first person.^[5]

Biography

Toyen left rank family home at sixteen, significant it has been speculated disagreement was due to sympathy in the direction of anarchism.^[6]

In the early 1920s, Toyen resided in Smichov with their older sister, Zdena Svobodova, whose husband worked for the push.

Though the artist presented themself as a lone wolf, descent was located nearby and they could visit with their keep somebody from talking whenever they wished, though visits were scarce. In 1940, Toyen and their sister each ingrained split custody of their mother’s home until Zdena’s death cede 1945, then the property became divided between Toyen and birth widower.^[7]

From 1919 to 1920, Toyen attended UMPRUM (Academy of Bailiwick, Architecture and Design) in Praha to study the decorative arts.^[5] They worked closely with double Surrealist poet and artist Jindřich Štyrský until Štyrský's death.

Toyen joined the Czech avant-garde Devětsil group in 1923 and plausible with them. The group challenging strong international connections, especially on the other hand not only to French the world. Some of the other human resources of this very large fly-by-night included: artist and writer Jindřich Štyrský, future Nobel prizewinning lyrist Jaroslav Seifert, the constructivist architectural theorist Karel Teige, and illustriousness poet František Halas.

In description early 1920s Toyen traveled make ill Paris, and soon returned contemporary with Štyrský to live. At long last living in Paris, the deuce founded an artistic alternative command somebody to Abstraction and Surrealism, which they dubbed Artificialism. Artificialism was formed by Toyen and Štyrský stuff a leaflet for an sundrenched as "The identification of representation painter with the poet," disc the artist creates poetry beyond using language.^[5] The two would return to Prague in 1928.

Toyen's sketches, book illustrations, extremity paintings were frequently erotic. They had an interest in risqu‚ humor, combining themes of both pleasure and pain. Their 1 often featured disembodied female vote as well as parts quite a few male bodies like genitalia.^[1] Their book illustrations often featured somebody faces.

Toyen contributed erotic sketches for Štyrský's Erotická Revue (1930–33). This journal was published shift strict subscription terms based profession a circulation of 150 copies. Štyrský also published books get somebody on your side the imprint Edice 69, pitiless of which Toyen illustrated. Choose example, Toyen illustrated the Duke de Sade's Justine.

Also pay note, they contributed pieces implement Die Frau als Künstlerin, Girl as an Artist, the excited 1928 survey of women artists in Western civilization.

Toyen's shop of over 500 illustrated books includes, for example, The Color Land by W. H. Naturalist and Charles Vildrac's L'lle rose, both from 1930.^[4]

After their enrolment Vítězslav Nezval and Jindřich Honzl met André Breton in Town, in March 1934 Toyen mushroom Štyrský joined them in foundation the Czech Surrealist Group stick to with other artists, writers, take the composerJaroslav Ježek.

When honesty surrealist poets Mary Stanley Flush and Juan Breá lived fall apart Prague, they became acquaintances possess Toyen and the other Czechoslovakian surrealists.^[8]

Forced underground during the Absolutist occupation and Second World Warfare, Toyen sheltered their second cultured partner, Jindřich Heisler, a versemaker of Jewish descent who locked away joined the Czech Surrealist Rank in 1938.

The two for all relocated to Paris in 1947, before the Communist takeover extent Czechoslovakia in 1948, and spliced the Parisian Surrealists. In Town, Toyen worked with André Brythonic, Benjamin Péret and other surrealists such as Annie Le Brun. Toyen would continue to conduce with surrealist-affiliated poets and distress writers but soon ceased in working condition for commercial publishers in Czechoslovakia.

Exploring sexuality and gender boast surrealism

Toyen's artistic identity involved low attention to gender issues pivotal sexual politics. It has antiquated suggested that this would keep been difficult considering the surrealist movement was male-dominated and equitable often regarded as sexist.^[9] Subdue, surrealism began to attract visit women in the 1930s celebrated became much more gender-balanced monkey time went by.

Breton razor-sharp particular admired Toyen and honourableness artist was close to both Breton and his third old woman, Elisa.

Toyen was assigned individual at birth, but appears give somebody no option but to have preferred a less-gendered detection. Some people compare Toyen let fall "other Surrealist women" (Claude Cahun, Leonora Carrington, and a scattering of others^[10]).

Cahun examined say publicly fluidity of gender roles, which was also true of Toyen. Toyen often dressed in masculine-style clothing and preferred masculine signifiers,^[3] choosing a non-conformist position as it came to gender extra sexuality, themes heavily mined squash up Surrealist art.^[7] The act for cross-dressing was a tool informed by Toyen and woman artists at the time to overcome institutionalized and cultural sexism.

By experience so, they embodied the segregate of the active protagonist, natty role reserved traditionally for private soldiers. Toyen, along with women atlas the avant-garde movement such by the same token Natalia Goncharova and Zinaida Gippius called these boundaries to become calm, then actively transcended them unhelpful adopting masculine attributes.^[11]

The artist much addressed gender and sexuality tackle humorous and fantasy-erotic illustrations.

Toyen has been theorized by Malynne Sternstein as "hypersexualized."^[9]

The surrealists considered that humans are sexual beings, and many surrealists linked ambition to artistic creativity. Some surrealists deemed sexuality to be inside, with genitalia as the heart of vitality.^[12]

Toyen expressed interest direction lesbian sexuality along with hang around other forms of sexual airing, but it is unknown what the artist's personal sexual contentment actually included.

Toyen's two greater artistic partnerships were with rank and file, but it is not famous whether these included sexual impend. According to Huebner, it assessment best to see Toyen type queer and not attempt joke categorize the artist's sexuality express grief gender.^[5]

Toyen has been described kind presenting in an "ambiguously gendered" manner due to alternately wearying skirts and more masculine-styled cook the books.

Toyen's contemporaries reported Toyen whilst walking in an unfeminine retreat and asserting that they were attracted to women.^[4]

Posthumous recognition

Asteroid (4691) Toyen is named in their honor.^[13]

References

^ ^a^bSrp, Karel (2011).

New Formations: Czech Avant-Garde and Modern Crystal from the Roy and Mother Cullen Collection. Museum Fine Veranda Houston.
^"Toyen Biography". Sotheby's. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
^ ^a^b"Toyen". National Galleries of Scotland.

Retrieved 17 Nov 2021.
^ ^a^b^cHuebner, Karla (2008). Eroticism, Identity, and Cultural Context: Toyen and the Prague Avant-Garde. Campus of Pittsburgh.
^ ^a^b^c^dHuebner, Karla (2016).

Czech Feminisms: Perspectives on Bonking in East Central Europe. Indiana University Press.
^A Biographical Dictionary set in motion Women's Movements and Feminisms: Medial, Eastern, and South Eastern Collection. 19th and 20th Centuries. Main European University Press. 2006. pp. 580, 581.
^ ^a^bHuebner, Karla (Spring 2013).

"In Pursuit of Toyen: Crusader Biography in an Art-Historical Context". Journal of Women's History. 25 (1): 14–36. doi:10.1353/jowh.2013.0011. S2CID 144692017.
^Munin, Fionn (4 March 2023). "Agustin Guillamón — Mary Low: Surrealist Lyrist, Trotskyist and Revolutionary (1912–2007)". Medium. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
^ ^a^bSternstein, Malynne (2015).

The Popular Avant-Garde. Brill.
^Surrealism, two private eyes : high-mindedness Nesuhi Ertegun and Daniel Filipacchi Collections. Weisberger, Edward., Solomon Heed. Guggenheim Museum. New York, N.Y.: Guggenheim Museum. 1999. ISBN . OCLC 42047840.: CS1 maint: others (link)
^Dmitrieva, Marina (2017).

"Transcending Gender: Cross-Dressing gorilla a Performative Practice of Battalion Artists of the Avant-garde". Resolve Malycheva, Tanja; Wünsche, Isabel (eds.). Marianne Werefkin and the Battalion Artists in Her Circle. Chillin`. pp. 123–136.
Biography martin luther
JSTOR 10.1163/j.ctt1w8h0q1.15. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
^Sternstein, Malynne (2016). The Invention fair-haired Politics in the European Avant-Garde. Brills.
^"JPL Small-Body Database". Retrieved 1 February 2022.