Antonín Slavíček (16 May 1870 – 1 February 1910) was a Czech

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

painter. He worked mostly in the area surrounding Kameničky.

Life

In 1887, he entered the

Academy of Fine Arts, Prague The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (; 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 one doctoral program. History Starting ...

, where he studied landscape painting with Julius Mařák. His studies were interrupted on several occasions, apparently due to disagreements with Mařák. In October 1899, Professor Mařák died and Slavíček applied to replace him, but was not accepted. The landscape painting speciality was discontinued. An important friend of his was the art collector August Švagrovský. A large number of his paintings passed from Švagrovský's collection to the museum in

Roudnice Roudnice is a municipality and village in Hradec Králové District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants. Etymology The name is derived from the red shades of colour (in Czech ''rudá'') of the water ...

. His wife fell seriously ill in 1908, making it necessary to travel to

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

for treatment, and he broke his arm during their stay there. After it had healed, in August 1909, they took a vacation to the

Orlické Mountains The Orlické Mountains (, , ) or Eagle Mountains are a mountain range located mainly in northeastern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is a mesoregion of the Central Sudetes. They follow the border with Kłodzko Land in Poland Poland, of ...

and, while he was swimming in the , he had a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

that paralyzed his right side. A long period of recovery followed. He made several attempts to paint with his left hand, but the results were disappointing. Soon after, he shot himself while "in a state of insanity", according to the death certificate."Sebevražedné mánii podlehl i malíř Slavíček" (The Painter Slavíček Succumbed to Suicidal Mania) by Ivan Motýl
31 January 2010,

Týden ''Týden'' (literally 'week') is a Czech weekly news magazine which focuses mainly on news and news analysis. It has been in circulation in 1994. History and profile ''Týden'' was founded in 1994 and soon became part of the Axel Springer AG med ...

His widow, Bohumila, married a family friend, the painter Herbert Masaryk; son of

Tomáš Masaryk Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (7 March 185014 September 1937) was a Czechoslovaks, Czechoslovak statesman, political activist and philosopher who served as the first List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 191 ...

. His son Jan also became a painter, and his son Jiří was a well-known screenwriter and director.Josef Tomeš, ''Český biografický slovník'' (Czech Biographical Dictionary), Vol.K-P, Petr Meissner, Prague (1999)

Selected paintings

Slavicek, Antonin - silnice v desti.jpg, The Road in the Rain
(date unknown) EliscinMost.jpg, Elizabeth Bridge (1906) Antonin Slavicek - cervnovy den (1898).jpg, A Day in June (1898) Antonin Slavicek - U nas v Kamenickach (1904).jpg, At Home in Kameničky (1904)

References

External links

Works relating to Antonín Slavíček
@ Národní Knihovny ČR (Czech National Library)
Česká Televize
"Garden Wall" by Slavíček, at the National Gallery: An appreciation by Monika Sybolová {{DEFAULTSORT:Slavicek, Antonin 1870 births 1910 deaths 19th-century Czech painters Deaths by firearm in Austria-Hungary Czech Impressionist painters Painters from Prague Burials at Olšany Cemetery 1910 suicides 19th-century Czech male artists Painters from Austria-Hungary Suicides in Austria-Hungary

Life

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links