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. Demographics Notable people *Václav Špála Václav Špála (24 August 1885 in Žlunice – 13 May ...

– 13 May 1946 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 ...

) was a Czech painter,

graphic designer A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...

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 ( ) is a style of painting and an art movement that emerged in France at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the style of (, ''the wild beasts''), a group of modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong col ...

, later by

Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

. 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 Emil Filla (4 April 1882 – 7 October 1953) was a Czech painter. He was a leader of the avant-garde in Prague between World War I and World War II and was an early Cubist painter. Early life Filla was born in Chropyně, Moravia, and spent hi ...

Otto Gutfreund Otto Gutfreund (3 August 1889 – 2 June 1927) also written Oto Gutfreund, was a Czechoslovak sculptor. After studying art in Prague and Paris, he became known in the 1910s for his sculptures in a cubist style. After his service in the World War ...

. 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 A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

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 (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the ...

carries his name. He is buried at the

Vyšehrad Cemetery Established in 1869 on the grounds of Vyšehrad Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, the Vyšehrad Cemetery () is the final resting place of many composers, artists, sculptors, writers, and those from the world of science and politics. The center ...

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