Peter Čisárik

Peter Čisárik was born on the 16^th of July 1958 in the Czech town of Teplice. He graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, specialization in Stage Design. After graduation from the Academy he worked as a stage designer in the Marionette Theatre in the city of Košice. He is was the director of The Secondary School of Applied Arts in Košice.

Peter Čisárik as an illustrator is obviously influenced by his study of stage design and his theatrical vision of an image. His illustrations have a precisely defined compositional architecture and system, in which the artist places stylised figures with a hint of a light humorous subtone. The space is richly coloured with acrylic paint, becoming pure and filled, possessing a massive quality and painterly character. He 'inserts' into his paper space a kind of scene, which has got its depth, mystery and also a kind of witty trick hidden in characters of the figures and in details possessed by the figures as if they were given props (binoculars, glasses, watches, etc.). His illustrations obtain characteristics of a theatrical-artistic performance, which, however, works perfectly in the book. The artist master work with colours and shapes, the colouring in his latest works becomes more distinct and shiny, despite its preserved, encoded elegant moderateness, typical for his artwork. He is brave in arranging and building of the space, distinguishing and admitting at times its depth and at other times its flatness. His figures possess a kind of modern air, they are not archaic heroes from fairy tales, but often trendy teenagers and animals from current times. Although he achieves a certain moderate joke with his stylization his humour never exceed limits of an extrovert tolerability. Even in this humour he maintains a certain seriousness and stoic serenity. In any case, in illustrations of this artist there is a 'theatrical performance' going on, the heroes have got their stage and costumes, props and dialogues, sometimes also an exalted air expressing their feelings. His heroes from books are actors in the architecture of their environment and perform what they live. As if the cover of the book were an imaginary 'curtain' of this theatre in the illustration, which uncovers mysteries of the heroes in common live situations of nowadays and leads to spontaneous lesson.

Author of the text: Mgr. Barbara Brathová, art historian

Snehuliacke ostrovy (J. Uličiansky, Mladé letá 1990); Máme Emu (J. Uličiansky, Buvik 1993, 2017); Veverička Veronka (J. Uličiansky, NONA 1996); Konor, malý psík s veľkým menom (D. Hevier, HEVI 1997); Technická výchova pre 5. až 9. ročník základných škôl (I. Krušpán a kol., Expol pedagogika 1999); Vkladná knižka rozprávok a básničiek (J. Mokoš, Vydavateľstvo SSS 2000); Hrmelo, pršalo (P. Kováčová, Osveta 2001); Pán prváčik (J. Uličiansky, Buvik 2002); Čarovný chlapec (J. Uličiansky, Perfekt 2005, v poľštine Towarzystwo Słowaków w Polsce, 2015); Tri hádanky (o bábkovom divadle) (J. Uličiansky, Perfekt - VŠMU 2007); Veveričky (J. Uličiansky, Perfekt 2008); O Guľkovi Bombuľkovi (M. Ďuríčková, Buvik 2009, v taliančine Acco 2010).

Umenie pre deti. Edit. Mária Števková. Bratislava : Buvik, 1999. [88] l. ISBN 80-85507-87-0.
BRATHOVÁ, Barbara: Peter Čisárik. In Slovenská detská kniha. Zost. Ľubica Kepštová. Bratislava : Literárne informačné centrum, 2008, s. 106-111. ISBN 978-80-89222-57-5.
BRATHOVÁ, Barbara: Slovak United Imagi Nations. Bratislava : Literárne informačné centrum, 2009, s.180-185. ISBN 978-80-89222-75-9.
ŠVEC, Andrej: Ilustrácia ako obrazové divadlo. In Bibiana. 1997, roč. 5, č. 2, s. 59-60. Dostupné na internete:  <http://www.bibiana.sk/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/digital_archive/rocnikv_2_1997.pdf >. ISSN 1335-7263.

ŠVEC, Andrej: Keď veverička „hrá divadlo“. In Medzinárodné sympózium BIB 2009. Zborník. Bratislava : BIBIANA, 2009, s. 91-95. Dostupné na internete:  <http://www.bibiana.sk/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/digital_archive/2009_1_slovensky.pdf>. ISBN 978-80-89154-24-1

1991 Honorary Mention in the competition the Most Beautiful Czech and Slovak Books 1990 for the book Snehuliacke ostrovy (The Snowmen Islands)

         'Mladé letá' Publishing House Award 1990 for the book Snehuliacke ostrovy

1995 Award of the Ministry of Culture of the SR in the competition the Most Beautiful Books of Slovakia 1994 for the book Máme Emu (We've Got Emma)

1997 Ľudovít Fulla Award fo illustrations for children and youth

          The Most Beautiful Books of Slovakia 1996 for the book Veverička Veronka (Squirrel Veronka)

2001 Award of the Ministry of Culture of the SR in the competition the Most Beautiful Books of Slovakia 2000 for the book Vkladná knižka rozprávok a básničiek (A Treasury of Fairy Tales and Rhymes)

2003 The Most Beautiful Books of Slovakia 2002 for the book Pán Prváčik (Mr. Firstgrader)

2006 The Most Beautiful Books of Slovakia 2005 for the book Čarovný chlapec (A Magic Boy)

2009 The Most Beautiful Children's Book of the Spring 2008 for the book Veveričky (Squirrels)

          The Most Beautiful Children's Book of the Winter for the book O Guľkovi Bombuľkovi (Roly-poly pompon)

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