Illustrator Miroslav Cipár died at the age of 86 – SME.sk

BRATISLAVA. Miroslav Cipár, an academic painter, graphic artist, illustrator and Slovak artist, died on Monday evening at the age of 86. TASR was informed about it by his son Vladimír Cipár.

Miroslav Cipár is considered one of the most versatile Slovak artists. He has won numerous domestic and foreign awards for his illustrative work.

His rich portfolio consists of paintings, sculptures, graphics, he has also created many famous logos. Undoubtedly the most popular, however, are his illustrations, for which he has won several important awards.

Cipar’s father survived the Semetes tragedy

Cipár was born on January 8, 1935 in the settlement Semeteš, which is part of the village Vysoká nad Kysucou. His parents returned from America during the First Czechoslovak Republic and tried to do business.

His father Štefan Cipár was the only one of twenty people to survive a mass execution due to chance, on April 20, 1945, when the retreating Nazis liquidated the entire group of locals (this is the famous Semetes tragedy).

Democratic parents were also under pressure after the communist regime.

He won a scholarship in the USA

After graduating from the Žilina grammar school in Cipár, he studied Slovak language and art education at the University of Education in Bratislava with Professor Eugen Lehotský from 1953 to 1955.

He continued his education from 1955 to 1961 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava, specifically in the graphics department of Professor Vincent Hložník and in the monumental painting department of Professor Petr Matejka.

He gained erudition and experience in 1971 and 1972 in New Delhi, India, at the Children’s Book Institute. In 1985, he led a workshop for illustrators at the Sri Lanka. In 1987, he received a scholarship to the United States.

Related article

Related article He could have been an American, he had become a Kysucan. Original Kysučan Read

Miroslav Cipár was also a figure in November 1989

The renowned Slovak artist was involved in the birth and implementation of several cultural projects, such as the Bratislava Biennial of Illustration (BIB) and the Triennial of Insit Art.

Miroslav Cipár also played an important role in November 1989, when he was one of the founders of the Public Against Violence (VPN) movement and actors in the Gentle Revolution.

Cipár’s work was intertwined with free painting, drawing, calligraphy, graphics, as well as sculpture and medal making. His activities also extended to the field of advertising and poster production, animated film and scenography.

He became known to the general public mainly as an excellent illustrator, awarded many important awards. The name of Miroslav Cipár has been known to generations of children thanks to his timeless illustrations – we can mention, for example, the Heroic Notebook by Klára Jarunková.

He was also the creator of brands and logotypes. He created more than 200 of them for various institutions, including the logo of the Kysucká Gallery.

“I paint almost daily. When I’m not in the studio, I’m nervous, grumpy, uneasy. But when I work and I can do it, when I know what I’m going to do, I’m kind, I’m giving away and I’m good in the world,” he said of his work. Miroslav Cipár.

Miroslav Cipár won several awards

For his illustrative work, he received the Young Award of the Young Years publishing house and honorable mentions and awards from the Most Beautiful Book competition.

In 1977, he won the European Prize at the University of Padua, the BIB Gold Medal and the IBA Bronze Medal in Leipzig for illustrations to Mária Ďuríková’s book The Golden Gate.

For Illustrations for the books of this author Biela kňažná and Dunajská královná he received Plaques BIB ’73 and BIB ’77.

Miroslav Válek’s book The Great Travel Fever was awarded a gold medal at the IBA Leipzig in 1982 with his illustrations.

Since 1979, Miroslav Cipár has been the winner of the Ľudovít Full Award. In 2001, he became the holder of the Council Ľudovít Štúr I. class.