Kamil Lhoták
Encyclopedia
Kamil Lhoták was a Czech painter, graphic artist, and illustrator. He was one of the members of Group 42
.
. His mother, Anna Kouglová, met and befriended young medical student Kamil Lhoták at the ball in Žofín. The couple never married but, they produced one child from their long-term relationship. Unequal social status and fears of damaging his career led Lhoták's father to hide his illegitimate son. However, he financially supported him and his mother his whole life. Lhoták Sr. was involved in viral research and experimented with the serum against poliomyelitis
. During a rare visit with his family, he infected his young son with this disease. The effects of poliomyelitis deeply influenced Lhoták's health. The relationship between Lhoták father and son was complicated and traumatic.
Thanks to his mother, Lhoták became familiar with painting and literature at a young age. He was particularly fond of the works of Jules Verne
, Edouard Riou
, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
. His early artworks were influenced also by modern technical inventions; he often created drawings of cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.
In 1932 he began his studies at Jirásek
Gymnasium
in Prague. Together with his classmate he published "Auto-moto zpravodaj" (Auto-Moto News) and later he participated in publishing school magazine "Hledání umění". He also often visited the expositions of modern art
in Aventinum.
Following his graduation at the gymnasium he continued studying at the Faculty of Law of Charles University
. Even during these studies, he devoted himself to painting rather than law.
In 1938 he married Hertha Guthová, and a year later he organized his first exhibition in Beaufort Gallery in Jungmannova Street. In 1940 he became a member of the art association Umělecká beseda. During the World War II
Lhoták created hundreds of artworks, and he also helped to establish the significant Czech art association Group 42
. The first exhibition of the group was organized in 1943. According to Czech painter Libor Fára
, one of Lhoták's presented paintings, "Dcera velkoměsta" (Daughter of a City), later caught the attention of Pablo Picasso
at the exhibition in Paris
.
In 1954, Lhoták began his collaboration with writer Adolf Branald. Together they created a book Dědeček automobil (Grandfather Automobile). Lhoták later considered his illustrations for this book as his best works. A year later, in 1955, they cooperated on the production of the film Dědeček automobil.
In the 1960s he met Anna Endrštová, who became his model and life partner. During the 1960s and 1970s he increased his work activities, annually creating a large number of paintings and book illustrations and also helping with exhibitions. His paintings from that time are influenced by modern art and op-art. He also took inspiration from the works of Roy Lichtenstein
.
Lhoták continued his work in later life, creating in 1990 his last painting, "Meteor padá do moře" (Meteor Falls to the Sea). He died on 22 October 1990 in Prague.
.
Lhoták's style was significantly influenced by poetry
, and especially by the works of Czech poets Jan Hanč and Ivan Blatný
, fellow members of Group 42. During the years he adapted his style to various modern trends, but he managed to maintain his originality and specific artistic expression. He intentionally used some elements of naïve art
and his works are well received for their directness and understandability.
Group 42
Group 42 was a Czech artistic group officially established in 1942 . The group's activity ceased in 1948, but its influence on Czech literature and Czech art was still evident in further years....
.
Biography
Kamil Lhoták was born on 25 July 1912 in Prague-HolešoviceHolešovice
Holešovice is a suburb in the north of Prague situated on a meander of the river Vltava, which makes up the main part of the district Prague 7...
. His mother, Anna Kouglová, met and befriended young medical student Kamil Lhoták at the ball in Žofín. The couple never married but, they produced one child from their long-term relationship. Unequal social status and fears of damaging his career led Lhoták's father to hide his illegitimate son. However, he financially supported him and his mother his whole life. Lhoták Sr. was involved in viral research and experimented with the serum against poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
. During a rare visit with his family, he infected his young son with this disease. The effects of poliomyelitis deeply influenced Lhoták's health. The relationship between Lhoták father and son was complicated and traumatic.
Thanks to his mother, Lhoták became familiar with painting and literature at a young age. He was particularly fond of the works of Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
, Edouard Riou
Édouard Riou
Édouard Riou was a French painter and illustrator of books by Jules Verne.Riou was a pupil of Charles-François Daubigny and Gustave Doré, graduated in 1859...
, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa or simply Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, and illustrator, whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of fin de siècle Paris yielded an œuvre of exciting, elegant and provocative images of the modern...
. His early artworks were influenced also by modern technical inventions; he often created drawings of cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.
In 1932 he began his studies at Jirásek
Alois Jirásek
Alois Jirásek was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a secondary-school teacher until his retirement in 1909. He wrote a series of historical novels imbued with faith in his nation and in progress toward freedom and justice...
Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Prague. Together with his classmate he published "Auto-moto zpravodaj" (Auto-Moto News) and later he participated in publishing school magazine "Hledání umění". He also often visited the expositions of modern art
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
in Aventinum.
Following his graduation at the gymnasium he continued studying at the Faculty of Law of Charles University
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
. Even during these studies, he devoted himself to painting rather than law.
In 1938 he married Hertha Guthová, and a year later he organized his first exhibition in Beaufort Gallery in Jungmannova Street. In 1940 he became a member of the art association Umělecká beseda. During the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Lhoták created hundreds of artworks, and he also helped to establish the significant Czech art association Group 42
Group 42
Group 42 was a Czech artistic group officially established in 1942 . The group's activity ceased in 1948, but its influence on Czech literature and Czech art was still evident in further years....
. The first exhibition of the group was organized in 1943. According to Czech painter Libor Fára
Libor Fára
Libor Fára was a Czech sculptor and painter.- Biography :The versatile Libor Fára graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague in the studio of Emil Filla in the second half of the 1940s, developing his artistic opinion in the circle of the Prague Surrealists.The main fields of Fára’s...
, one of Lhoták's presented paintings, "Dcera velkoměsta" (Daughter of a City), later caught the attention of Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
at the exhibition in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
In 1954, Lhoták began his collaboration with writer Adolf Branald. Together they created a book Dědeček automobil (Grandfather Automobile). Lhoták later considered his illustrations for this book as his best works. A year later, in 1955, they cooperated on the production of the film Dědeček automobil.
In the 1960s he met Anna Endrštová, who became his model and life partner. During the 1960s and 1970s he increased his work activities, annually creating a large number of paintings and book illustrations and also helping with exhibitions. His paintings from that time are influenced by modern art and op-art. He also took inspiration from the works of Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein was a prominent American pop artist. During the 1960s his paintings were exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City and along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist and others he became a leading figure in the new art movement...
.
Lhoták continued his work in later life, creating in 1990 his last painting, "Meteor padá do moře" (Meteor Falls to the Sea). He died on 22 October 1990 in Prague.
Style
Lhoták was an entirely self-taught painter, and he developed his style in an individual and original way. His paintings are based on a specific poetic view, and it is almost impossible to classify them into art genres. Technology and its inventions from the beginning of the 20th century, and particularly the pioneering inventions of motoring, aviation, and the railroads became his main source of inspiration. In his works, Lhoták also included the motives of the Prague periphery. Despite the dreamy atmosphere and poetic character, Lhoták's paintings retain strong reference to the real world and remain solely figurativeFigurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
.
Lhoták's style was significantly influenced by poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, and especially by the works of Czech poets Jan Hanč and Ivan Blatný
Ivan Blatný
Ivan Blatný was a Czech poet, member of Skupina 42 .-Life:...
, fellow members of Group 42. During the years he adapted his style to various modern trends, but he managed to maintain his originality and specific artistic expression. He intentionally used some elements of naïve art
Naïve art
Naïve art is a classification of art that is often characterized by a childlike simplicity in its subject matter and technique. While many naïve artists appear, from their works, to have little or no formal art training, this is often not true...
and his works are well received for their directness and understandability.
Selected exhibitions
- 1967 - Haus der Tschechoslowakischen Kultur, BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
- 1969 - Mahlerstraβe Gallery, ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
- 1977 - Galerie Kniha, Prague
- 1980 - Dům umění, ZlínZlínZlín , from 1949 to 1989 Gottwaldov , is a city in the Zlín Region, southeastern Moravia, Czech Republic, on the Dřevnice River. The development of the modern city is closely connected to the Bata Shoes company...
- 1986 - City Gallery Prague
- 1987 - Old City Town Hall, Prague
External links
- Kamil Lhoták - Prague Art & Design
- Kamil Lhoták or Comfort in the Machine (Moravian Gallery in Brno)
- Kamil Lhoták - Internetová Galerie Nova umění
- Kamil Lhoták - GalerieOnline.cz
- Můj otec Kamil Lhoták (My Father Kamil Lhoták) - a book by Lhoták's son. (Kosmas.cz)
- Pražská informační služba (Prague Information Service)
- Museum of Art Olomouc