Mikuláš Galanda (4 May 1895 – 5 June 1938) was a

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complic ...

who was one of the most important pioneers and propagators of Slovak

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

. He is buried in the

National Cemetery in Martin The National Cemetery ( sk, Národný cintorín) in Martin, Slovakia, Martin, Slovakia is the final resting place of many important personalities of Slovak history. The list includes writers, poets, national activists, pedagogues, etc. The reason ...

Birth and education

He was born in Mala Vieska near Turčianske Teplice. From 1914 to 1916 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest. In 1922 he enrolled in the

Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague The Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (AAAD, cs, Vysoká škola uměleckoprůmyslová v Praze, abbreviated VŠUP, also known as UMPRUM) is a public university located in Prague, Czech Republic. The university offers the study ...

, where he studied under Prof. V. H. Brunner. From 1923 to 1927 he studied at the

Academy of Fine Arts in Prague The Academy of Fine Arts, Prague ( cs, Akademie výtvarných umění v Praze; AVU) is an art college in Prague, Czech Republic. Founded in 1799, it is the oldest art college in the country. The school offers twelve master's degree programs and on ...

under August Brömse and Franz Thiele.

Career

From 1924 to 1926, Galanda was the first graphical editor for '' Dav'' magazine. He was given approval to teach drawing in 1928, and in that year in Prague he met Maria Boudova, whom he married in 1931. He moved to

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

in 1929 and started to teach at 1st girls' town school. From 1929 to 1932 he shared an atelier together with Ľudovít Fulla situated in 5, Trnavska street in Bratislava. In 1930 he worked as a teacher at 2nd boys' school and at School of handcrafts in Bratislava. He joined Umelecka beseda slovenska. In autumn of 1930 he traveled to Paris, and had an exhibition in Kraków. Mother, 1937

During 1930–1932, Galana and L. Fulla released four issues of their ''Private Letters'', in which they had been talking over new progressive opinions in fine arts and its function in modern society. In 1933 he became a professor at School of handcrafts in Bratislava, and won Krajinska cena M. R. Štefánika. In 1935 he had exhibitions in Siena Elanu and Prague. In 1936 he had a holiday in Zdiar, and exhibited in the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

. In 1937 he exhibited his works in Moscow and at the 1937

Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne The ''Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne'' (International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life) was held from 25 May to 25 November 1937 in Paris, France. Both the Palais de Chaillot, housing the M ...

in Paris, where he won a Silver Medal for inventive art genre – illustrations and book designs. In 1938 he participated in an Exhibition of Slovak Art in New York. He signed the manifesto of 300 cultural, artistic, scientific and religious representatives "Verní zostaneme! (Forever faithful!)" in protest against ČSR separation. Mikuláš Galanda died on 5 June 1938 in Bratislava.

Style

In all his work, he strove to formulate the

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

n artistic

modernism Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

on the basis of achievements in the development of European painting. He was inclined towards

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radi ...

and

cubist Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

trends, and created his own form of painting on this basis. Early in his career he was oriented toward graphics but later he devoted himself more to painting. His subject matter was domestic, associated with the Slovak landscape and people. He was considered to be a lyric painter of female beauty and charm. His body of work is predominantly melancholic in tone.

Legacy

In 1991 a permanent exhibition of his work was opened in his hometown Turcianske Teplice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galanda, Mikulas Slovak artists Slovak painters 1895 births 1938 deaths Academy of Fine Arts, Prague alumni Hungarian University of Fine Arts alumni 20th-century Slovak painters Burials at National Cemetery in Martin People from Turčianske Teplice Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague alumni