Antoš Frolka is a name that resonates with all admirers of the folklore from the region of Slovácko (Moravian Slovakia), especially in painting.
Antonín Frolka was born in 1877 in the South-Moravian village of Kněždub. His painting talent was apparent from an early age, however, his family couldn’t afford to send him to an art school. Fortunately for Antoš, Joža Uprka who was already a famous painter at that time and lived in a nearby village, noticed the young talent and took him as apprentice. And just like Uprka, Frolka also dedicated his paintings to his Moravian Slovakian heritage.
After a short stay in Prague, Frolka came back home after his mother passed away. He was also accepted to art schools in München, Vienna, however, he never finished any of these studies. He definitely returned home after his father died in 1908, had a family and worked on his family farm.
Already a father of four, he received a scholarship to study in Paris but after several months, he was recruited to the Eastern Front from which he was released due to a serious illness and then worked as a clothes designer in Vienna. Back home he continued farming and also supported his family by selling the paintings he made in his free time. Moreover, he was often commissioned to paint posters for social and cultural events in the region.
Frolka wasn’t only a bearer of the traditions of Slovácko in paintings, he also wore the traditional kroj all his life and spoke the local dialect.
After he passed in 1937, he was buried next to Joža Uprka and his equally famous brother Franta Uprka.
The fame of Antoš Frolka didn’t stay only within his birth region. Although he had many expositions in nearby towns like Hodonín, Luhačovice, Strážnice or Prostějov, his work was also featured at expositions in Paris, London or Prague. The motifs of his work were what he knew best, the everyday rural life of Slovácko.
Frolka also captured folkloric events in his painting, such as Hody, Fašank or Easter celebrations.
