SLAVÍČEK, Antonín

Czech landscape painter, a founder of the Modern School of Czech painting, noted for his expressive landscapes and city scenes. Slavíček was born in Prague and from 1887 to 1889, and again 1894-1899, studied at the Academy of Graphic Arts under Julius Mařák (1832-1899), who considered him his most gifted pupil. He inherited his teacher’s studio after Mařák’s death in 1899, but soon closed shop to pursue his own creative paths. He was a member of the Mánes Union of Artists and took part in their exhibitions from 1898. He later developed a style derived from Impressionism.

In 1907 he visited Paris and Brussels, and he was attracted to the work of the painters in the Barbizon school. He committed suicide at 39, after suffering a stroke which left him unable to paint.

Slavíček was influenced by Impressionism and is usually identified with that movement. Unlike the French, however, he was less interested in form than in conveying emotions through pure light and shade. After 1900 his style grew increasingly abstract in its original use of colour.