Rada, Vlastimil

Rada, Vlastimil

 

Born Apr. 5, 1895, in České Budějovice; died Dec. 23, 1962, in Prague. Czech painter and graphic artist. People’s Artist of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.

Rada studied at the Academy of Arts in Prague with J. Preisler, M. Švabinský, and J. Štursa from 1912 to 1920. He also taught at the academy. His many landscapes are realistic in style and are devoted to scenes of the artist’s homeland. Rada strove for a stark monumentality of images (as seen in Winter in the Mountains, 1937; Winter in Dejvice, 1952—both in the National Gallery, Prague). His works also include illustrations to the works of A. Jirásec, J. Neruda, and N. V. Gogol. His illustrations are filled with humor or epic insights. Rada was awarded the State Prize of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in 1949 and 1954.