Jan Zrzavý (5 November 1890 – 12 October 1977) was a Czech painter, graphic artist and illustrator.

Biography

Zrzavý was born on 5 November 1890 in Vadín in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

(today a part of Okrouhlice in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

). He studied privately 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 ...

and then attended the UMPRUM there for 2 years starting in 1907, before being expelled. He first visited France in 1907, returning to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

frequently until 1939, but maintaining close links to his homeland. From 1942 to 1958, he lived and worked in

Vodňany Vodňany (; ) is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ...

. After the war he became an associate professor at Palacký University of Olomouc from 1947 to 1950. Later he maintained private studios in Prague and Okrouhlice. He grew increasingly recognized on a national and international level in the 1950s and 1960s, and was honoured a title of a National Artist in 1965. He died in Prague on 12 October 1977, at the age of 86. At his request, he was buried in

Krucemburk Krucemburk (in 1949–1993 Křížová; ) is a market town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,600 inhabitants. Administrative division Krucemburk consists of three municipal parts (in brac ...

, which he liked to visit and where his father came from.

Artistic influences

Zrzavý was a key member of the Czech, and more broadly European, modernism movement the early part of the 20th century. Although he is regarded as a symbolist he was heavily influenced by European Medieval art. Throughout his life he was also inspired by spectacular landscapes, both abroad (France, Italy, and Greece) as well as in his native country (Vodňany, Okrouhlice, Prague). He reworked many of his themes multiple times. He was admired by and written about by one of the founders of the Czech artistic movement called Poetism,

Karel Teige Karel Teige (13 December 1900 – 1 October 1951) was a Czech modernist avant-garde artist, writer, critic and one of the most important figures of the 1920s and 1930s movement. He was a member of the '' Devětsil'' (Butterbur) movement in the ...

. His œuvre dedicated to the Czech National Gallery is on display in

Telč Telč (; ) is a town in Jihlava District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,100 inhabitants. The town is well known for its historic centre, which is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservatio ...

and in

Art groups and clubs

*Sursum, 1910 – founder *SVU Manes 1917 – member *Tvrdošíjní (Stubborns) – co-founder

References

External links

Detailed biography (in Czech)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zrzavy, Jan 1890 births 1977 deaths People from Havlíčkův Brod District Czech male painters Czech scenic designers Czech modern painters