Frantisek Kupka

Happy Birthday Frantisek Kupka!! This painter was born in what is now the Czech Republic, in 1871. He studied at the Prague Art Academy, where he concentrated on patriotic themes. From there he enrolled in a school in Vienna and began to work in symbolism. Later Kupka settled in Paris and worked as an illustrator, contributing satirical work to newspapers, magazines, books and posters. He gradually moved away from realism and settled into abstract art with Cubist influences. He was also quite interested in color and developed theories for its use, desiring to “free colors from descriptive associations”. The painting below is titled Planes by Color.