Antonín Slavíček is one of the artists who represented the impressionism movement in the early 19th century in the Czech Republic. His paintings are devoted to nature, picturesque places, and the surroundings of the village Kameničky in the Pardubice region.
Discover where you can indulge yourself with Czech impressionism, and see Slavíček’s masterpieces with your eyes!
The path to impressionism
Antonín’s first steps towards a career as an artist began at the time he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. At the time, the future impressionist was only 17! The motivation to study art came from his older brother, who was a unique painter and a role model for young Antonín.
As a specialization and concentration subject, Slavíček chose landscape painting with the professor and master of its craft, J. Mařák. Interestingly, some people say that his studies were interrupted by some disagreements with the professor. On the other hand, others claim that Slavíček went to the Benedictine monastery in Moravia due to unhappy love.
Sadly, the artist discontinued the landscape painting speciality, and the new adventures began.
Antonín Slavíček & his network
Networks are everything, whether we are talking about modern society or the world in the 19th century. As a vivid example, one of the closest friends of Antonín Slavíček was a magnificent art collector August Švagrovský.
V zahradě (Z Okoře), [1897–1899]
Thanks to the collector, we can now enjoy a vast collection of landscape paintings. The color of his landscapes corresponded to his impressionistic vision of nature and his attempt to convey the monumentality of nature using colorful spots, which he began using in his work in 1898.
Besides Prague, you can find the exhibition at the museum in Roudnice.
Continuous hardships of Antonín Slavíček
In 1908, the artist faced several challenges in his life. At first, his wife was seriously ill, and they had to travel to Croatia. There, Antonín broke his arm, and, in 1907, he was paralyzed by his right side. After a long period of recovery, the artist made several attempts to paint with his left hand. However, the results were not as good as expected.
Shortly after, Slavíček shot himself as he could not deal with it anymore.
Paintings
He painted nearly seventy paintings in Kameničky. They are truly his best work. He tried to portray the mood of the countryside and views of the lovely Czech terrain and country homes in his landscapes.
His goal at the time was to show the people’s complex lives respectably, as they appeared far more real to him than life in the city. Here, he fully implemented his Impressionism concept, which was meant to represent the landscape’s humble and serene spirit.
Furthermore, Slavíček began painting corners of Prague in 1905. This became his next source of inspiration and the primary focus of his paintings.
Sofia Chesnokova
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