Aladár was born on October 29, 1863, in Buda, the son of hydro-biologist and zoologist János Kriesch. He was the child of the German-born mother. In his young years, beside the Buda Castle, Kolozsvár was the place for a pleasant family reunion. He spent all his holidays there, and his artistic work started here as well.
Aladár has gained extensive classical education during his school years. He completed his artistic studies at the Mintarajziskola under the leadership of Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz, then continued in Munich and Italy. In 1894 he visited Lotz's Master School. In 1896 he returned to study tours via Venice, Genoa, Madrid, Valencia, and Paris. He met Leo Belmonte at the Julian Academy, and later they had a close working relationship.
Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch was commissioned to paint a large composition from Kolozsvár (Horia and Kloska). He painted the image of Francis Joseph and Cardinal Haynald in 1895, commissioned by the City of Torda in 1895, the Parliament of Torda for which he was awarded the Prize of the Musicals. The town of Eger called for the composition of Dobó and Eger Women. Those images do not yet show the stylistic features of later, distinctive performances, the softer brush-operated examples of eclectic historical painting.
In 1897 Aladár painted two large frescoes ("Buda on the bison hunting" and "Fishing on the lake"), which were completed in 1902, in the Parliament's Hunting Hall. In those pictures, his style was closer to his typical works. In 1907, at the exhibition of the Applied Arts Society, he presented his "Good Governor Gobelins", showing his generous but sensitive styling skills. He considered it important to use natural materials and colors, so he collected the traditions of popular folk techniques still available and the folk motifs. It was mostly in Transylvania, Kalotaszeg, but he was in Mezokovesd. He also participated in the collection of the material of Malonyay's "The Art of Hungarian People."
In addition to paintings and graphics, he occasionally also dealt with sculptural compositions. He also designed building and room decorations and even some items. He won the Grand Prize with the Hungarian group of the 1906 Milan International Exposition. He designed the Hungarian section of the 1904 Torino World Expo. He has produced a lot of paintings, for example the Academy of Performing Arts (the Katana Bánk bánja theme), the Vác Eternal Poets' Church, the Papneveld of Temesvar, the Vienna Hunting Exhibition in 1910, the Mexican Opera House, the Budapest Academy of Music (The Source of Art), the Cultural Palace of Târgu Mureş, Pannonhalma Millennium Monument, and the Zebegény Temple (which was designed by Kós Kós also in the spirit of Hungarian Art Nouveau).
He also designed mosaics and glass windows. The theme of his oil paintings from folk life to Hungarian and classical mythology, to the age of panteistic, Gnosticism-affected mystics, embraced a lot of allegorical parables. The oil paintings were closer to the gentle formation of fine naturalism, while its walls were decoratively stylized, lineal, monumental plane compositions. He designed books, illustrations, and many watercolors.
Aladár wrote articles about Hungarian arts and crafts, Ruskin, and W. Morris. In 1907 he was awarded a state gold medal for "developing the various branches of domestic arts in the national direction." He was the chairman of the Hungarian Fine Arts Society, which organized a separate exhibiting company called Céhbeliek, which operated from 1914 to 1934.
He was a member of the KÉVE artist group. From 1913 he led the decorative painting class of the School of Applied Arts. When the First World War broke out, he fought warlords as war correspondents. In 1918 he won a gold medal with an emblematic, poster-like grenade launcher. In 1918 - 1919, Körösfői-Kriesch was a member of the Hungarian Literary and Artistic Council. His estate exhibition was held in 1921 at the Belvedere Salon. The health of the artist was mentally and physically disturbed. He died on June 16, 1920, in Budakeszi in the sanatorium. Many of his works are guarded by the Hungarian National Gallery.
The Story of Klára Zách I
Portrait of Kriesch Laura
Cassandra
Pupppet Theatre
Portrait of the Artist's Wife
All Souls' Day
Ego sum via, veritas et vita
The Story of Klára Zách II
Székely Folk Tales
Memory
Lady with Tiara
The Good Pastor
Madonna
Fair
Lakeshore
Eagles above the Hero's Grave
Vanity
Fountain of Art
Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch adhered to the artistic traditions of Art Nouveau.
Aladár was a member of the KÉVE artist group. He also organized a group called the Céhbeliek (Guildfellows) from 1914.
