Jaroslav Čermák (painter)
Jaroslav Čermák (1 August 1830 – 23 April 1878) was a Czech painter known primarily for his history paintings. Many of his paintings are in the collection of the National Gallery in Prague.
Biography[edit]
Čermák was born in Prague. His birth house at Betlémské náměstí 10 (Betlémské Square No. 10) has since been decorated with a commemorative statue of a girl crowned with laurel and with a golden inscription of his surname.[1] As a child, Čermák suffered an injury of the hip, and due to subsequent complications he spent a part of his childhood strapped to the bed in a narrow chest. This accident apparently inspired his artistic beginnings, as while in bed, deprived of the possibility of moving, he found an interest in drawing.[1] Histitle family was involved in arts patronage; his mother supported anonymously the renowned Czech writer Božena Němcová.[2]
From 1847 to 1848, Čermák studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague as a pupil of Christian Ruben.[3] It was Čermák's desire to be a history painter; as he felt that the training in Prague would be insufficient, he traveled to Antwerp, where he studied with Gustave Wappers and Louis Gallait. In 1852 he settled in Paris; however, he travelled widely through Europe and often returned to his homeland. He frequently visited Montenegro, and in 1862 he fought alongside Herzegovina chieftains and their soldiers in Herzegovina uprising (1875–1877).[4] For his courage in battle he was awarded a medal by Nicholas I of Montenegro, whose guest he frequently was. One of the streets in Podgorica was named after him.[4] In 1874 he designed and built his own house in Paris.[3]
Through his sister Marie, Čermák was the brother-in-law of Jerzy Konstanty Czartoryski. He died in 1878 in Paris. His remains were transferred to Prague in 1888. He is buried at Olšany Cemetery in Prague.[5]
Style[edit]
He was influenced by the work of Peter Paul Rubens. During his stay in Paris he encountered Eugène Delacroix and Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps and became familiar with their works. Many of his paintings depicted scenes from Czech history; he was, however, also interested in subjects from Montenegro and Old Herzegovina, and one of his most famous works is The Wounded Montenegrin.[4] His works are influenced by Romanticism. As an important artistic exponent of the Czech National Revival, he actively participated in the emancipation efforts of Czechs and other small European nations.[3] The themes of his works bear the stamp of anti-Habsburg stance.[6] Čermák painted portraits and genre pieces in addition to history paintings.
Gallery[edit]
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Hussites Defending a Pass -
Counter-Reformation (1854) -
Montenegrin (1865) -
Indian. -
Hercegovka.
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Notes[edit]
- ^ a b "Vycházky po Praze" [Walks around Prague] (in Czech). usedlosti.ctrnactka.net. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ Veselý, Josef (2009-11-15). "Babička (Toulky Českou minulostí)" [Grandmother (Wanderings in the Czech past)] (in Czech). Czech Radio. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ a b c "Čermák Jaroslav (1830-1878)" (in Czech). Galerie Marold. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ a b c "Český malíř Jaroslav Čermák a jeho stopy v Černé Hoře" [Czech painter Jaroslav Cermak and his traces in Montenegro] (in Czech). Černá Hora - průvodce po pobřeží. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ "Olšanské hřbitovy" [Olšany Cemetery] (in Czech). Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ Šustová, Jana (2006-05-19). "Výstava Pražské ghetto v obrazech ukazuje, že ghetto patří k nejlépe dokumentovaným částem Prahy" [The Prague Ghetto exhibition in paintings shows that the ghetto is one of the best documented parts of Prague] (in Czech). Czech Radio. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
References[edit]
- Naděžda Blažíčková-Horová, ed. 19th-Century Art in Bohemia: (1790–1910) - Painting, Sculpture, Decorative Arts. Prague; National Gallery in Prague, 2009.
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