Kamil Lhoták

Lhoták, one of the most famous and most popular Czech painters, did not study painting at any professional school; he was an autodidact finding his main sources of inspiration in the subject of a city and its poetry. His art drew from Josef Šíma, Henri Matisse and Bohumil Kubišta, while the inseparable part of his inspiration also were magazines, advertising drawings, posters and photographs. In 1942, his style intersected with the program of the Group 42 and he soon became its member. Lhoták had an especially close relation to poets Hanč and Blatný whose poetic style is reflected is his paintings and prints. This was one of the main stimuli of the painter’s unique morphology – rich colors and absolute concreteness – which he never abandoned. His figurative work , characteristic of intentional naivism, is generally accepted for its straightforwardness and comprehensibility. Lhoták had many followers; none of them, however, succeeded to bring back the charm of his style.

Kamil Lhoták

* 1912, Prague, Czech Republic

Solo Exhibitions