Introduction

Joza Uprka captured the essence of traditional Moravian countryside life. With a thriving agriculture infrastructure, Uprka took special interest in depicting the rural population and their farming practices. Land was measured in “láns” (Czech for hide), with social status and economic position directly connected to the size of the land a farmer worked. A peasant farmer cultivating a full lán was called a lánik, and a half-hide farmer was a půláník, indicating their social standing.

Uprka captured a twilight time in Moravia between the fast innovation and integration of machinery into farming and the Soviet invasion and Communist takeover of the region. Uprka’s depictions of farmwork are valuable for contemporary insight to a time begone.