Václav Špála (24 August 1885 in

Žlunice Žlunice is a municipality and village in Jičín District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants. Notable people *Václav Špála Václav Špála (24 August 1885 in Žlunice – 13 May 1946 in Pragu ...

– 13 May 1946 in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

) was a Czech painter, graphic designer and illustrator. He studied at

Academy. He was a member of the group Tvrdošíjní (The Obstinate) and exhibited with them. At the beginning of his career, his work was influenced by

Fauvism Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...

, later by

Cubism 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 ...

. From 1909 he was a member of the Manes Association. From 1911 he was also a member of the Group of Fine Artists in Prague, a group of young Czech modernists embracing cubism and including artists like Vincenc Benes, Josef Capek, Emil Filla or Otto Gutfreund. The Group of Fine Artists organized in 1912 two significant exhibitions in the newly opened exhibition halls of the Municipal House in Prague. Since 1923 he painted mainly landscapes and still-lives. Václav Špála ranks among the greatest phenomena of Czech modern art. Czech society alternately rejected him and lavished him with uncritical praise. Špála remains one of the most searched-for artists in the country. His paintings decorate not only classrooms but also numerous offices and living rooms. Špála was one of the first artists to be recognised with the title National Artist, and was awarded it in 1946. Since 1959

The Václav Špála Gallery ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

carries his name. He is buried at the Vyšehrad Cemetery.

References

* Richard Drury: ''Václav Špála (1885 - 1946)'', Prague : The Czech Museum of Fine Arts, 2004, exhibition catalogue, 83pp., , (Czech) and * ''Václav Špála : mezi avantgardou a živobytím'', Prague : National Gallery, 2005, exhibition catalogue, 274 pp., , (Czech) * ''Czech Modern Painters 1888-1918'', Petr Wittlich, Karolinum, Charles University in Prague, 2012, 208 pp., (English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Spala, Vaclav 1885 births 1946 deaths 20th-century Czech painters Czech male painters People from Jičín District 20th-century Czech male artists

See also

References