As the Olympians competing in Milan-Cortina going into their last and final week, Czechia’s opening ceremony outfits have garnered all types of attention and mixed reviews. Rather than the typical white coats seen through previous years, the Czech athletes fashioned bright and bold color-blocked knitwear. The eye-catching designs, pitched by Milan Jaroš, were inspired by Czech artist and typographer Vojtech … Read More
The Complicated Legacy of Jan Uprka
Despite following in his father’s artistic footsteps, Jan Uprka is unfortunately known for his involvement in a much more controversial career—participating in the fascist party during the occupation of Czechoslovakia. While his father, Joža Uprka, became internationally celebrated for his depictions of Moravian folk life, Jan never achieved comparable artistic recognition. Living in the shadow of his acclaimed father could … Read More
Uprka’s Postcards: The Circulation of Modernism and Folk Tradition
Mailed or not, these postcards served as a distribution network for aesthetics, a way for outwardly-oriented visual artists to inject their ideas directly into culture, engaging with the world at large.” –Kyle Chayka, Hyperallergic Postcards allowed images to move quickly and cheaply across borders, circulating ideas well beyond galleries and private collections. For artists whose work was oriented toward … Read More
De-coding the Czech kroj: what a scarf could mean?
As industrialization acclerated across Central Europe in the late nineteenth century, traditional folk dress, known as kroj, or kroje (pl), began to be rendered obsolete and started to disappear from everyday life. Mass-produced, functional clothing became more readily available. Larger, more urban centers such as Prague saw the kroj fall out of use relatively quickly, while rural regions experienced a … Read More
Tracing Joža Uprka: Must-Visit Art Destinations in the Czech Republic
At Uprka in America, we often center Joža Uprka and his fellow Czech modernist artists within an American perspective. Despite this, his impact is felt most powerfully in the Czech Republic, a country that happens to rank among Europe’s most compelling travel destinations. If you’re planning a trip to the Czech Republic this year, we’ve put together a curated list … Read More