If you’re interested in Czech rural painting, especially from Moravia, the first name you should know is that of Joža Uprka.
Joža Úprka is most definitely the biggest name when it comes to Moravian rural painting, his genius has been astonishing people for well over 100 years.
Who was Joža Uprka
Joža Úprka (also Jóža Uprka, born Josef but the name Josef Uprka is used for his grandson who is a sculptor) was born on October 26, 1861 in the south Moravian village of Kněždub. He grew up a farmer’s son, going to school in Strážnice and Olomouc. His rural background and the time he lived in was perfect for any career that revolved around Moravian folklore but there was also inherited talent. His father Jan was a self-taught painter and his brother Franta became a famous sculptor. Unlike his father, Joža pursued artistic education at the academy of Prague and later in Munich. One of his notable accomplishments was establishing the Škréta society, a society of Czech painters in Munich whose members were, among others, Alfons Mucha and Mikoláš Aleš.
During his active years, Uprka helped young talents such as Antoš Frolka whom he took as his apprentice.
He built a house with atelier near his home village and had it rebuilt later with the help of the famous Slovak architect Dušan Jurkovič. Uprka married folkloric painter Anežka Králíková (they were married after their first child was born) and they had four children, only two of which lived until adulthood.
In the 1920s and 30s, Uprka lived in his own small palace in Slovakia (without his wife who started suffering a mental illness just a few years after the wedding and was placed into an asylum) and in wintertime, he travelled to south-European countries around the Mediterranean sea and studied local country life and attire. In 1928, he painted a series of traditional attires from Dubrovnik, Croatia, called Dubrovničan.
He organized several expositions in the most significant cities around the country and founded or was a member of several artistic societies in both the Czech and Slovak part of Czechoslovakia. After his passing in 1940, he was laid to rest in Kněždub next to his brother Franta and his student Antoš Frolka.
Work of Uprka
Joža Uprka returned to his home region where he created most of his paintings. The source of his inspiration was what he knew best – everyday life in the Moravian countryside. Thanks to a grant, he visited Paris in 1892-93 and in 1894, Mucha helped him participate in Salon des artistes français with his painting “Pilgrimage at St. Anthony” (Pouť u svatého Antonínka).
He became renowned abroad thanks to this painting, however, his most famous painting is that of the Ride of the Kings in Vlčnov:
This painting actually comes in two versions. The one you see above is the later impressionistic one, whilst the earlier version (supposedly painted in 1894) was made under the influence of realism. The painting was the result of more than 60 sketches made from 1891. In this year, Uprka took residence in the house of a farmer from Vlčnov, establishing his atelier in the house of another to be able to observe the local scene. Fun fact: we actually know the names of some people who appear in the painting. Do you see the lady in a green skirt with a baby in her arms? That was Marina Chvilíčková who is believed to have made an impression on the painter. If you’d like to see the painting in person, you’d have to look in the Moravian Gallery in Brno.
Joža Uprka emphasized Moravian ethnography in most of his work
– – – – –
Featured picture: Joža Uprka – Last pilgrimage at St. Anthony; https://www.kutnahora.cz
Photo source – portrait of Joža Uprka: By Anonymous – http://www.radio.cz/cz/rubrika/kultura/narodni-galerie-vystavuje-dila-jubilanta-jozi-uprky, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47462343