František Kupka | |
|---|---|
 Kupka inc. 1928 | |
| Born | (1871-09-23)23 September 1871 |
| Died | 24 June 1957(1957-06-24) (aged 85) |
| Education | Academy of Fine Arts in Prague Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Académie Julian,Paris École des Beaux-Arts, Paris |
| Known for | Painting |
František Kupka (also known asFrank Kupka orFrançois Kupka;[1] 23 September 1871 – 24 June 1957) was aCzechpainter andillustrator who moved fromrealism toabstract art, pioneeringOrphism.[2][3][4]
František Kupka was born inOpočno (easternBohemia) inAustria-Hungary (now in theCzech Republic) on 23 September 1871. From 1889 to 1892, he studied at theAcademy of Fine Arts in Prague. At this time, he painted historical and patriotic themes. Kupka enrolled at theAcademy of Fine Arts Vienna, where he concentrated onsymbolic andallegorical subjects. He was influenced by the painter and social reformerKarl Wilhelm Diefenbach (1851–1913) and his naturistic life-style. Kupka exhibited at the Kunstverein, Vienna, in 1894. His involvement withtheosophy andEastern philosophy dates from this period. By spring 1894, Kupka had settled in Paris; there he attended theAcadémie Julian briefly and then studied withJean-Pierre Laurens at theÉcole des Beaux-Arts.[3][5]
Kupka served as a volunteer in the First World War, and is mentioned inLa Main coupée byBlaise Cendrars. Cendrars describes him as a "proud soldier, calm, placid, strong", but really too old to be a soldier, being at least 25 years older than the rest. When the regiment set out from Paris for the front in Picardy (they marched all the way on foot) Mme Kupka met the column as they arrived at the La Défense roundabout, near where they lived. She marched with them, carrying her husband's bag and his rifle. She would have marched all the way to the front, but at the end of the first day the colonel had her arrested and sent back to Paris. She later made her way to the front lines to spend time with her husband. Kupka himself left the front due to frostbite in the foot, caused by nights in the trenches waist-deep in freezing water.[6]
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Kupka worked as anillustrator of books and posters and, during his early years in Paris, became known for his satirical drawings for newspapers and magazines. In 1906, he settled inPuteaux, a suburb of Paris, and the same year exhibited for the first time at theSalon d'Automne. In 1907 he published his self-portraitThe Yellow Scale, believed to be ismasterpiece. Kupka was deeply impressed by the firstFuturist Manifesto, published in 1909 inLe Figaro. Kupka's 1909 paintingPiano Keyboard/Lake marked a break in his representational style. His work became increasingly abstract around 1910–1911, reflecting his theories of motion, color, and the relationship between music and painting (orphism). In 1911, he attended meetings of thePuteaux Group (Section d'Or). In 1912, he exhibited hisAmorpha, Fugue en deux couleurs, at theSalon des Indépendants in the Cubist room, although he did not wish to be identified with any movement.Creation in the Plastic Arts, a book Kupka completed in 1913, was published inPrague in 1923.[7]
In 1931, he was a founding member ofAbstraction-Création. In 1936, his work was included in the exhibitionCubism and Abstract Art at theMuseum of Modern Art in New York City, and in an important show with another Czech painter,Alphonse Mucha, at theJeu de Paume in Paris. A retrospective of his work took place at the Galerie Mánes in Prague in 1946. The same year, Kupka participated in theSalon des Réalités Nouvelles, where he continued to exhibit regularly until his death. During the early 1950s, he gained general recognition and had several solo shows in New York.
Between 1919 and 1938 Kupka was financially supported by his good friend, art collector and industrialistJindřich Waldes who accumulated a substantial collection of his art. Kupka died in 1957 inPuteaux, France.
Among Kupka's first color studies, his paintingThe Yellow Scale (c. 1907)[8] centers on yellow itself.[9] He began developing his own color wheels (c. 1910), inspired byIsaac Newton[10] andHermann von Helmholtz, leading to a series of paintings, "Discs of Newton" (1911–1912).[10] His strong interest in color theory and freeing colors from descriptive associations may have influencedRobert Delaunay.[10]
Works inPeggy Guggenheim Collection,Venice, Italy:
Other works includeThe Cathedral (Katedrála).
In March 2021, Kupka'sLe Jaillissement II sold for£ 7,551,600 in an auction organized bySotheby's, so far the highest price for his work.[11]
Kupka was avegetarian and took interest intheosophy.[12][13] He practiced as a spiritualist medium and was alleged to have experienced clairvoyant trances.[14][15] He was a believer inthought-forms which influenced his artwork.[16] His theosophic visions inspired his paintingDisks of Newton (Study for "Fugue in Two Colors").[16][17] He also practicednaturism.
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