Ivan Mrkvička (born Jan Václav Mrkvička, ; 23 April 1856 – 16 May 1938) was an

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

-born painter and an active contributor to the artistic life of newly independent

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

in the late 19th and early 20th century. He is regarded as one of the founders of the modern Bulgarian fine art tradition.

Biography

Born in the village of Vidim near

Mělník Mělník (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument zon ...

, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague under professor Antonin Lhota and at the Munich Academy. Mrkvička came to

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

in 1881 after an invitation by the then-

Eastern Rumelia Eastern Rumelia (; ; ) was an autonomous province (''oblast'' in Bulgarian, ''vilayet'' in Turkish) of the Ottoman Empire with a total area of , which was created in 1878 by virtue of the Treaty of Berlin (1878), Treaty of Berlin and ''de facto'' ...

n government and worked as a teacher in the

Cyril and Methodius Cyril (; born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (; born Michael, 815–885) were brothers, Population of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Christian theologians and Christian missionaries, missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs ...

high school, where he co-operated with the most important cultural figures in the city — Ivan Vazov, Konstantin Velichkov, Petko Karavelov, Petko Slaveykov. Mrkvička set up his first independent exhibition in 1886 and participated in two shared exhibitions with

Anton Mitov Anton Stefanov Mitov (Bulgarian: Антон Стефанов Митов; 1 April 1862, in Stara Zagora – 20 August 1930, in Sofia) was a Bulgarian painter, art critic, art historian, social activist and corresponding member of the Bulgarian Aca ...

, another teacher at the high school. During his Plovdiv period Mrkvička created some of his best known works: ''Plovdiv Marketplace'' (1883), ''Sakadzhii'' (1886), ''Gypsy Revelry'' (1887), ''Poulterer'' (1887), ''Marketplace in Plovdiv'' (1888) and others. Mrkvička settled in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

in 1889 and was one of the founders of the

National Academy of Arts The National Academy of Arts () is an institution of higher education in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest and most renowned school of arts in the country. History The National Academy of Arts was founded in 1896 by noted artists and public f ...

in 1896, but briefly returned to Plovdiv in 1892 to take part in a special exhibition in the Plovdiv Fair main pavilion. He there presented 15 paintings, including ''Street in Plovdiv'', and a sculpture called ''Bulgaria — Patroness of Agriculture and Crafts''. He was also the author of the exhibition's official poster. The painter's most significant achievements are in the everyday life genre, although he also worked in the historic painting sphere and is the author of many high-quality portraits. One of the creators of the then-

coat of arms of Bulgaria The coat of arms of Bulgaria consists of a crowned golden Lion (heraldry), lion rampant over a dark red Escutcheon (heraldry), shield; above the shield is the Bulgarian historical Crown (headgear), crown. The shield is supporters, supported by two ...

and the coat of arms of Sofia, he became a

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; , ''Bŭlgarska akademiya na naukite'', abbreviated БАН) is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy, with headquarters in Sofia, is autonomous and consists of a S ...

member in 1918. One of his students was Bulgarian artist Vladimir Dimitrov, who studied under him from 1903 to 1910. Mrkvička died in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

on 16 May 1938.

Selected paintings

Bulgarian woman from Smilevo Mrkvicka.jpg, Bulgarian woman from Smilevo (1931) Bulgarian woman from Smilevo, 1931.jpg, Bulgarian woman from Smilevo (1931) Thrace Shop Macedonia.JPG, Three Sisters: Moesia, Thrace and Macedonia (1915) Radibuška moma od Mrkvička.jpg, Maid from Radibush (1929) Bulgarian Macedonian Woman Mrkvicka.jpg, Bulgarian woman from

Skopska Crna Gora Skopska Crna Gora or Karadak Mountains ( Macedonian and , ; ), often called simply Crna Gora (Macedonian and ; ), is a mountain range and ethnographic region in North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia. The highest peak is Ramno in Macedonia. The la ...

(1931) Ivan Mrkvička - Rachenitsa.jpg, Rachenitsa (1894) Jan Mrkvička-Shopsko horo.jpg, Shopsko Horo (1892) Ivan Mrkvička - Self-portrait.jpg, Self-portrait Ivan Mrkvička - Wedding in Momchilovtsi.jpg, Wedding in Momchilovtsi Zaduchnicsa 1890.jpg, Zadushnitsa (1890) Joseph I of Bulgaria.jpg, Joseph I of Bulgaria Mrkichka.JPG, Child's portrait Radka Hadzhinikolova in a Macedonian Costume 1880.jpg, Radka Hadzhinikolova in a Macedonian Costume Portrait of Princess Maria Louisa (1900).jpg, Portrait of Maria Louisa (1900)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mrkvicka, Ivan 1856 births 1938 deaths 19th-century Bulgarian painters Bulgarian people of Czech descent Corresponding Members of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences People from Mělník District Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Academy of Fine Arts in Prague alumni 19th-century Czech painters 20th-century Czech painters Czech male painters 19th-century Czech male artists 20th-century Czech male artists Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the Ottoman Empire Painters from Austria-Hungary 20th-century Bulgarian painters