Seifert was born in
Praskolesy,
Bohemia,
Austrian Empire (present-day
Czech Republic), but within a few months, his family moved to nearby
Hořovice. As a child, he fell seriously ill, could not walk for four years and spent two years in an
orthopedic institution. Instead of playing, he began to draw pictures and his artistic talent soon started to emerge. His first teachers were
Karl Würbs, inspector of the Estates Gallery at
Prague Castle, and
Alois Kirnig, a
landscape painter. After two years of studies at a high school in
Malá Strana district of Prague, he received an admission to the
Academy of Fine Arts Munich in 1869. In 1876, he opened his own workshop there. Critics appreciated a well-thought composition of paintings, attention to detail, as well as harmonic colors and a pleasant atmosphere. though he had exhibitions in Prague and black-and-white reproductions of his works regularly appeared in
Světozor magazine. Some Czechs criticized his lack of patriotism by pointing out on his preference for foreign topics over domestic ones. His approach, however, was explained by financial reality: to make his living, he had to create such paintings that his Munich audience was willing to buy. In Bohemia, his works did not sell well, even if he accommodated. For example, a
history painting Jan Augusta welcomes Filipina Welser waited long for a buyer. His other famous works include:
Ophelia,
Titania,
Walk out of the gate,
Spring of love and
Tales of spooks. ==Gallery==