Union of Souls

The early work of the painter and graphic artist Maxmilian Švabinský shows distinctive relations with symbolism. The type of a femme fatale who does not attract a man by her pride and cruelty but rather by refined delicacy and non-real dreaminess was an important motif of his paintings. Fairies in an ideal landscape of paradise appear in his triptych Feeling of Bliss of 1896. This painting also indicates his possible inspiration by French artist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes whose oeuvre was abundantly discussed, especially by artists. Švabinský’s essential oil painting Union of Souls was created in the same year. At first sight, the painting gives a calm and balanced impression, with a precisely thought-out composition, though its details show surprisingly strong dynamics.