Cyril Bouda
1901–1984 · Czech painter, graphic artist and illustrator
Cyril Bouda (1901–1984) was a Czech painter, graphic artist and illustrator who taught at the Czech Technical University and at Charles University in Prague. Although he trained as a painter, he is best remembered for his versatile and prolific work in applied graphics.
Born in Kladno to two artist parents, he studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Prague under František Kysela and then at the Academy of Fine Arts under Max Švabinský. From 1932 he taught figure drawing in the architecture department of the Technical University, and from 1946 to 1972 he worked at the Faculty of Education of Charles University.
He first devoted himself to free graphics, such as drypoint, colour etching and lithography, as well as easel painting. His best-known work was book illustration, especially of Czech fairy tales, legends and humorous and historical books. He mastered many graphic techniques, designed Czechoslovak postage stamps, created stained glass windows for several churches and a panoramic tapestry of Prague.