Joža Uprka

Joža Uprka studied at Academy of Fine Arts, Munich and Academy of Fine Arts, Prague. Training under František Čermák is recorded. The recorded working language is Czech. The field of work recorded is folklore, visual arts and painting. Places of work recorded in the authority are Hodonín, Hroznová Lhota and Olomouc. Work by Joža Uprka is recorded in the collections of Minneapolis Institute of Art, Slovak National Gallery, Liptov Gallery of Peter Michal Bohúň, Moravian Gallery in Brno and Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Distinctions recorded are Salon of French Artists and Order of Franz Joseph.

• Illustration — Scarves Uprka was born to a peasant family. His father was an amateur painter, which inspired Joža and his brother, František, to pursue careers in art. After completing his primary education, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, where he studied with František Čermák. After Čermák's death, he transferred to the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, where he was one of the founders of a Czech student organization called "Škréta" (after Karel Škréta), a group that included Alfons Mucha, Antonín Slavíček, Pavol Socháň and Luděk Marold. In 1888, Uprka returned home and began painting scenes from peasant life. He studied in Paris from 1892 to 1893 thanks to a scholarship. In 1894, with Mucha's assistance, Uprka gave a showing at the Salon. His first major exhibition in Prague came in 1897. Uprka was married in 1899, after which he bought a small house in Hroznová Lhota, which he used as a studio. In 1904, it was transformed into a two-story villa, inspired by folk architecture, with a design by Dušan Jurkovič. It soon became a popular meeting place for many notable Czech artists, writers and composers. However, the following year, his wife's mental condition, which was always poor, took a turn for the worse and it was necessary to place her in the mental hospital at Kroměříž. She stayed there until her death in 1959. After this time, Uprka largely turned away from painting to do etchings. From 1922 to 1937, he lived in a castle in Ilava and maintained a studio in the Slovakian countryside, where he went for inspiration. In 1928, Uprka visited Dubrovnik, where he observed the local customs. His folk paintings received a major showing in Uherské Hradiště at the "Výstava Slovácka 1937". He died of kidney failure three years later and returned to his place of birth for burial. Joža Uprka's motto he wrote about his own work: I have worked my entire life not for fame and recognition, not for money and other benefits, not to humiliate others, but for the cause itself, so that as a conscious member of this tribe, I could capture as much of its life as possible.

Joža Uprka is recorded as painter, graphic designer, folklorist and artist.