Bela Čikoš Sesija

Bela Čikoš Sesija (27 January 1864 in Osijek – 11 February 1931 in Zagreb) was a Croatian Symbolist painter, art teacher and one of the founders of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.

One of his ancestors was a hero at the Battle of the Sesia in 1524 and, as a result, was knighted with the name "Sesija". His father was a Captain in the border patrol of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Due to his father's reassignments, the family moved frequently and his education was sporadic until he entered the Cadet School at Karlovac in 1874. After graduation, in 1882, he was assigned to the 78th Osijek infantry regiment under Baron Josip Šokčević. He moved up in the ranks quickly, becoming a full Lieutenant in 1886, but resigned the following year because he refused to help support Károly Khuen-Héderváry's policy of Magyarization.

Despite having shown no particular aptitude for art, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, where he studied with Julius Victor Berger. While there he received two gold medals, in 1889 and 1891, for scenes depicting ancient history. In 1891, he also enrolled in a special course in Orientalist painting taught by Leopold Müller.

After Müller's death in 1892, he returned to Zagreb and participated in decorating the "Pompeian Room" at the local offices of the "Department of Education and Religious Affairs". His work there was supervised by the head of the department, Izidor Kršnjavi, who would become his patron and mentor. The first thing Kršnjavi did was send him on a study trip to Venice with two other young Croatian artists. This was followed by studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich with Wilhelm Lindenschmit.

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