- Condition: **
- Year: 2019
Ota Janeček (1919–1996): Flora, 1957; The Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové
Between 1937 and 1939, O. Janeček studied drawing at the Czech Technical University in Prague. After the closure of Czech universities by the Nazis, he worked briefly at a bicycle factory, and then studied at the School of Applied Arts in Prague, but he did not finish the studies. Ota Janeček was a member of the association of artists “Mánes” and of the association of Czech graphic artists “Hollar.” His first paintings manifested expressiveness typical of the war period. After 1948, Ota Janeček gradually discovered his distinctive, poetic style with organic, decorative elements. In the 1950s, he temporarily returned to the realistic concept of painting, but in the following decade, his works began to assume non-figurative, floral shapes. On the contrary, the motifs typical of his painting in the 1970s and 1980s were subtle, almost dreamy stylisations of flowers, birds, butterflies, trees, and grass stalks. He also frequently used girl nudes in his drawing and graphic art. Apart from painting, Janeček also used other forms of graphic art, such as linocuts, lithographs, and dry point etching, as a very significant part of his work. He drew a large number of book illustrations (e.g. Hrubín, Halas, La Fontaine, Ovidius, Wilde, Seifert, Verlaine). Ota Janeček won several important awards during his life, such as Marie Majerová’s Award, Culture Minister’s Award, São Paulo Award for Children’s Book Illustrations, and the Silver Eagle at the Nice International Book Fair.