Joža Uprka (26 October 1861,

Kněždub Kněždub is a municipality and village in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,000 inhabitants. Kněždub lies approximately east of Hodonín, south-east of Brno, and south-east of Prague. Demog ...

– 12 January 1940,

Hroznová Lhota Hroznová Lhota is a municipality and village in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants. Etymology Lhota is a common name of Czech villages. The municipality has a long vine-growing tra ...

) was a Czech painter and graphic artist whose work combines elements of

Impressionism 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 ...

and

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

to document the folklife of Southern

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

Biography

Uprka was born to a peasant family. His father was an amateur painter, which inspired Joža and his brother, František, to pursue careers in art. After completing his primary education, he enrolled at 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 with

František Čermák František Čermák (born 14 November 1976) is a Czech former professional tennis player. Career In his career, Čermák won 31 doubles titles on the ATP Tour and he was a finalist 24 times. He achieved a career-high doubles ranking of world ...

. After Čermák's death, he transferred to the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

, where he was one of the founders of a Czech student organization called "Škréta" (after

Karel Škréta Karel Škréta Šotnovský of Závořice (; 1610 – 30 July 1674) was a Czech portrait painter who worked in the Baroque style. He lived through the Thirty Years' War which caused him some hardships as a Protestant which led him to leave Prague ...

), a group that included

Alfons Mucha Alfons Maria Mucha (; 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist. Living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, he was widely known for his distinctly stylized ...

Antonín Slavíček Antonín Slavíček (16 May 1870 – 1 February 1910) was a Czech Impressionist painter. He worked mostly in the area surrounding Kameničky. Life In 1887, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, where he studied landscape painting with J ...

, Pavol Socháň and

Luděk Marold Luděk Alois Marold (7 August 1865, Prague – 1 December 1898, Prague) was a Czech painter and illustrator, best known for his panorama depicting the Battle of Lipany. It is the largest painting in the Czech Republic and currently has its own pav ...

. In 1888, Uprka returned home and began painting scenes from peasant life. He studied in Paris from 1892 to 1893 thanks to a scholarship. In 1894, with Mucha's assistance, Uprka gave a showing at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

. His first major exhibition in Prague came in 1897. Uprka was married in 1899, after which he bought a small house in Hroznová Lhota, which he used as a studio. In 1904, it was transformed into a two-story villa, inspired by folk architecture, with a design by

Dušan Jurkovič Dušan Samo Jurkovič (23 August 1868, Turá Lúka – 21 December 1947, Bratislava) was a Slovak architect, furniture designer, artist and ethnographer. One of the best-known promoters of Slovak art in 20th century Czechoslovakia, he is rememb ...

. It soon became a popular meeting place for many notable Czech artists, writers and composers. However, the following year, his wife's mental condition, which was always poor, took a turn for the worse and it was necessary to place her in the mental hospital at

Kroměříž Kroměříž (; ) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is known for Kroměříž Castle with its castle gardens, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic town centre with the castle ...

. She stayed there until her death in 1959. After this time, Uprka largely turned away from painting to do

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

s. From 1922 to 1937, he lived in a castle in

Ilava Ilava (, ) is a town in the Trenčín Region, northwestern Slovakia. Name The name is of uncertain origin. The historic medieval names were ''Lewe'', ''Lewa'' (the same historic name as Levice), ''Lewa de cidca fluviom Vag'', later ''Ilava''. ...

and maintained a studio in the Slovakian countryside, where he went for inspiration. In 1928, Uprka visited

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 ...

, where he observed the local customs. His folk paintings received a major showing in

Uherské Hradiště Uherské Hradiště (; ) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. The agglomeration with the two neighbouring towns of Staré Město (Uherské Hradiště District), Staré Město and Kunovice has over ...

at the "Výstava Slovácka 1937". He died of kidney failure three years later and returned to his place of birth for burial.

Selected paintings

File:Pouť u sv. Antonínka (Brno secesní).jpg, Pilgrimage to the chapel of Saint Anthony
above Blatnice File:Joža Uprka – Štěrkař.jpg, The Stonebreaker File:Uprka Jízda-králů 1897.jpg,

Ride of the Kings The Ride of the Kings () is a festival that is celebrated in Spring, at the Pentecost, in Moravia, the south-east of the Czech Republic. In 2011, UNESCO included it in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, Representative List of the I ...

References

External links

* Joža Uprka. ''Kožuchy'' ("Furs", a study of folk costume). Kroměříž, 1920
Online text

Joža Uprka - barvy a písně (colors and songs)
- video from

Czech Television Czech Television ( ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting six channels. Established after breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslovak Television founded in 1953. H ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uprka, Joza 1861 births 1940 deaths People from Hodonín District Artists from the Margraviate of Moravia Czech graphic designers 19th-century Czech painters Czech male painters 20th-century Czech painters Academy of Fine Arts in Prague alumni Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Deaths from kidney failure 19th-century Czech male artists 20th-century Czech male artists Painters from Austria-Hungary

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links