(b Nov? Paka, Bohemia [now Czech Republic], 14 Feb 1878; d Prague, 24 Nov 1942). Czech sculptor and teacher. He studied at the School of Sculpture at Horice in Bohemia (1891-5), the School of Applied Art, Prague (1896-8), under Stanislav Sucharda, and at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague (1889-1901), under Josef Vaclav Myslbek. He was an assistant to Sucharda (1901-4), Professor of Decorative Sculpture at the School of Applied Art, Prague (from 1916), and Professor of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague (from 1925). Although on the whole a typical representative of early 20th-century Czech academicism, he played a distinguished part in the development of Czech sculpture at the beginning of the century, being strongly influenced by Rodin. This work reached its climax during his stay in Paris (1904-8) when it was characterized by expressive symbolism (e.g. Somnambula, 1906; Prague, N.G., Zbraslav Castle). He also, however, had an excellent grounding in decorative sculpture, and a number of his bas-reliefs executed before he lived in Paris are distinctly Art Nouveau in style and spirit. He was an outstanding modeller, and his sculptures show an extreme sensitivity to light, exploiting its effects both sensually and symbolically (e.g. Victims of Love and Death, 1907-8; Prague, N.G., Zbraslav Castle). This is also true of his intimate portraits, especially of women. In about 1910 his views on sculpture underwent a change towards a new synthetism of form, and in his endeavours to reach a new monumentality his statues progressively acquired an ever more traditional academic character (e.g. Orpheus, 1915; Prague, N.G., Zbraslav Castle). Later he made his reputation mainly with his statues in Prague, which continue the traditions established by Myslbek (e.g. the statue of the artist Josef M?nes, 1932, Palach Square, and the colossal equestrian statue of the military and religious leader Jan Zizka, 1940, in front of the National Monument on Zizkov Hill).
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