Roman Havelka (30 April 1877 – 20 June 1950) was a Czech landscape painter, in the

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

style.

Life and work

He was born in

Jemnice Jemnice (; german: Jamnitz) is a town in Třebíč District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrativ ...

into the family of a poor net maker. When he was eight, they moved to

Jihlava Jihlava (; german: Iglau) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 50,000 inhabitants. Jihlava is the capital of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava River on the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia. Historically, Jihlava i ...

. For some time, he had displayed a talent for drawing. A German burgher there was among the first to take note, and offered him support. He was able to study at the

Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague The Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (AAAD, cs, Vysoká škola uměleckoprůmyslová v Praze, abbreviated VŠUP, also known as UMPRUM) is a public university located in Prague, Czech Republic. The university offers the study d ...

, with

Stanislav Sucharda Stanislav Sucharda (12 November 1866 in Nová Paka – 5 May 1916 in Prague-Bubeneč), Czech sculptor and professor at the Prague School of Applied Arts from 1899, and a leading figure in the Mánes Union of Fine Arts (S.U.V. Mánes), founded in ...

and Felix Jenewein. Later, during the school year of 1895/96, he transferred to the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

, where he studied with

Julius Mařák Julius Eduard Mařák (29 March 1832, Litomyšl – 8 October 1899, Prague) was a Czech landscape painter and graphic designer. Life His father was an auditor and land registrar. His first painting lessons came while he was still in the Gymnasiu ...

and

Antonín Slavíček Antonín Slavíček (16 May 1870 – 1 February 1910) was a Czech Impressionist painter who worked mostly in the area surrounding Kameničky. Life In 1887, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, where he studied landscape painting with Jul ...

. He graduated as a student of

Rudolf Otto von Ottenfeld Rudolf Otto von Ottenfeld (21 July 1856, Verona – 26 July 1913, Prague) was an Austrian military painter, a founding member of the Vienna Secession and a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague. Life Ottenfeld was a student at t ...

in 1900, then completed his studies in Dresden and Munich. Thanks to a scholarship, he was able to make study trips to Italy and

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. While still at school, he had become enchanted with the landscapes of Podyjí, to which he had been introduced by his elder colleague, František Bohumír Zvěřina. Many years later, he would do the same for . In 1900, he began exhibiting. He was awarded the in 1902 and 1903. He also devoted himself to organizing the , and served as its Chairman from 1923. In 1914, he married Marta Měšťan, the daughter of a pharmacist. Not long after, he joined the army and was sent to fight on the Eastern Front. Marta gave birth to a daughter while he was away, and went to live with her parents in

Třebíč Třebíč (; german: Trebitsch; yi, טרייביטש Treybitsh) is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants. The beginnings of the town's history are connected with the establishment of a Benedictine ...

. When he was discharged, in 1918, he set up a studio in Prague. They were not reunited until 1926, when he was able to buy a home. Later he exhibited abroad, showing his works in Vienna, London, and Berlin. In addition to his paintings, he drew illustrations for several works; notably '' Castles and chateaux of the Czech Republic'', by

August Sedláček August Sedláček (28 August 1843 – 15 January 1926) was a distinguished Czech historian and archivist. Sedláček was born in Mladá Vožice, Bohemia. Notably, he worked in medieval history, detailing the history of Medieval castles in th ...

. While visiting Znojmo, he died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

, aged 73. He completed over 3,000 paintings, which have been presented in 70 exhibitions. Streets have been named after him in Znojmo and Jihlava.

Selected paintings

Roman Havelka - Mezi chalupami (1912).jpg, Between the Cottages Roman Havelka - Krajina od Jihlavy (1904).jpg, Landscape from

Roman Havelka - Duše bukového lesa (1899).jpg, The Soul of the Beech Forest Roman Havelka Z Bítova okolo 1905.jpg, View from Bítov Roman Havelka - Bubeneč (1923).jpg,

Bubeneč Bubeneč is a district in the north-west of Prague. 52% of the district is in Prague 7, but most of the built-up area is in Prague 6. Sparta Prague football club and their stadium Generali Arena is situated at the south-eastern edge of Bubeneč, ...

Sources

* ''Regionální osobnosti'' (Regional personalities), Okresní knihovna, Třebíč, 1995 *

Jaroslav Pelikan Jaroslav Jan Pelikan Jr. (December 17, 1923 – May 13, 2006) was an American scholar of the history of Christianity, Christian theology, and medieval intellectual history at Yale University. Early years Jaroslav Jan Pelikan Jr. was born on ...

: ''Roman Havelka: Krajinářská tvorba'' (Landscape Creations; exhibition catalog), , 1977 * Jitka Reissnerová: ''Roman Havelka: 1877 - 1950'' (exhibition catalog), , 2000 * Jiří Uhlíř: ''Roman Havelka malíř Podyjí (1877-1950)'', , 2004

External links

"Malíř Havelka bojoval s češtinou. Sběratel náhodou objevil jeho dopisy"
(The painter Havelka struggled with Czech. Collector accidentally discovered his letters) by Tomáš Blažek @ iRegiony
Works by and about Havelka
@ the

National Library of the Czech Republic The National Library of the Czech Republic ( cs, Národní knihovna České republiky) is the central library of the Czech Republic. It is directed by the Ministry of Culture. The library's main building is located in the historical Clementinum ...

Biography and list of major works
@ Znojmo Městská Knihovna {{DEFAULTSORT:Havelka, Roman 1877 births 1950 deaths Czech painters Landscape painters Academy of Fine Arts, Prague alumni Deaths from pneumonia in Czechoslovakia People from Jemnice Austro-Hungarian painters Czechoslovak painters Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague alumni