František Kupka
Signum
Artist
František Kupka
(1871, Opočno - 1957, Puteaux), Czech
Original Title
Signum
Date1922
Mediumindian ink on paper
Dimensions26,5 × 21 cm
Classificationsdrawings
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionFrantišek Kupka’s artistic practice is inseparably linked to the birth of abstract art, despite his tendency to be quite individualistic in his artistic and intellectual endeavors. Kupka focused on the relation between art and science, and sought a subjective visualization of subconscious mental processes as well as a new way of portraying natural phenomena. Engagement with contemporary artistic styles was generally backgrounded throughout his independent artistic evolution. The beginnings of Kupka’s practice are closely intertwined with the spiritual milieu of fin-de-siècle Central Europe, where academism blended with naturalism, anarchism, symbolism, and the existentialist philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer. Kupka’s work is also heavily influenced by spiritual seances, musical inspiration, and findings from his study of color theory and Eastern philosophy. After moving to Paris, Kupka eventually moved away from philosophical sources of inspiration in favor of novel scientific disciplines, particularly biology and physiology. In 1910, he definitively abandoned academic painting, instead exploring the symbolism of artistic devices themselves and the possibilities of depicting organic processes from the natural world. A momentous result of his years-long experiments with abstracting reality was Amorpha, Fugue in Two Colors, which was first exhibited at the 1912 Autumn Salon in Paris; it was followed by Vertical Planes, displayed the subsequent year. Later, Kupka produced the Organic Cycle, which was a philosophical exploration of natural stories and the phenomena of movement and spouting in relation to space and time. In the late 1920s, Kupka engaged with mechanical materiality through a series of mechanistic canvases which prioritize a quaint painterly style. In the early 1930s, he moved away from inspiration in the physical world; the resultant abstract works analyze purely artistic and compositional issues and seek a maximal liberation of shape and expression as well as a depersonalized painterly style. The earlier dynamism, diversity of color, and thick layers of paint gave way to a harmonic, static aesthetic and a reduction of color and shape which questions the very boundaries of painting. Kupka further developed this approach following a creative hiatus forced by World War II.
Signum (1922) comprises a sheet of paper with India ink rendition of Kupka’s signature. Its masterly execution echoes Kupka’s career as a skillful draftsman whose talents were visible even in textual work. The style of the signature evokes secessionist decorative lines rooted in the idea of natural vitalism, which indelibly impacted Kupka’s work.
František Kupka (1871, Opočno–1957, Puteaux) was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in 1899, studying in František Sequens’s historical and religious painting studio. During his studies, Kupka became a medium in the Prague’s spiritist circles. He also spent a year at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, studying under August Eisenmengera. In this period, he dedicated himself to studying the philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer, which intrigued him primarily due to their critical views on religion. After moving to Paris, he shortly studied at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts. In 1900, when Kupka was making a living as a draftsman for various magazines, his painting Bibliomania (1896–1898) received acclaim at the World Expo in Paris. His 1906 move to Puteaux reinforced his creative individualism and provided him with space for intensive creative work. Between 1906 to 1923, Kupka regularly exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants. In 1923, a Czech translation of his book Creation in the Plastic Arts was published. During World War I, Kupka was part of the Czechoslovak resistance and later volunteered as a soldier in the Czechoslovak legion before suffering a serious injury in 1915. After returning from battle, he organized the Czechoslovak legions in France, closely collaborating with Edvard Beneš. His wartime achievements would earn him the Order of the French British Legions in 1926. In 1919, Kupka was appointed as a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, although he remained stationed in Paris, where he attended to Czech scholarship students up until 1938. In the 1920s, solo exhibitions of Kupka’s work were held at the Povolozky Gallery (1921) and the Galerie de la Boétie (1924). In 1931, he became a founding member of the art group Abstraction-Création, with which he would exhibit in the following years. In 1936, his work was featured in the legendary exhibition Cubism and Abstract Art at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which was curated by Alfred Barr and mapped the evolution of modern art. World War II forced a hiatus in Kupka’s work. In 1946, the National Gallery in Prague hosted a comprehensive exhibition of his work in the Mánes Exhibition Hall and acquired an extensive collection of his work for their permanent collection. In 1951, the Galerie Louis Carré held his solo exhibition at their branch in New York City. In 1958, a retrospective of Kupka’s work was held at the Musée National d´Art Moderne in Paris, where a significant part of his oeuvre is currently housed. In the same year, he represented Czechoslovakia in the 50 Years of Modern Art exhibition at the World Expo in Brussels. His first large-scale international exhibition was organized by the Musée National d´Art Moderne and the National Gallery in Prague; the show also travelled to Cologne, Munich, Vienna, and Amsterdam. His first extensive retrospective in the USA was held at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1975. The most recent notable exhibition of work was held in 2018 at the Grand Palais in Paris and was subsequently shown at the National Gallery Prague (2018) and the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki (2019). Apart from the National Gallery in Prague and Musée National d´Art Moderne in, housed in the Centre Georges Pompidou, Kupka’s work can also be found at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum Kampa in Prague.
Signum (1922) comprises a sheet of paper with India ink rendition of Kupka’s signature. Its masterly execution echoes Kupka’s career as a skillful draftsman whose talents were visible even in textual work. The style of the signature evokes secessionist decorative lines rooted in the idea of natural vitalism, which indelibly impacted Kupka’s work.
František Kupka (1871, Opočno–1957, Puteaux) was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in 1899, studying in František Sequens’s historical and religious painting studio. During his studies, Kupka became a medium in the Prague’s spiritist circles. He also spent a year at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, studying under August Eisenmengera. In this period, he dedicated himself to studying the philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer, which intrigued him primarily due to their critical views on religion. After moving to Paris, he shortly studied at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts. In 1900, when Kupka was making a living as a draftsman for various magazines, his painting Bibliomania (1896–1898) received acclaim at the World Expo in Paris. His 1906 move to Puteaux reinforced his creative individualism and provided him with space for intensive creative work. Between 1906 to 1923, Kupka regularly exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants. In 1923, a Czech translation of his book Creation in the Plastic Arts was published. During World War I, Kupka was part of the Czechoslovak resistance and later volunteered as a soldier in the Czechoslovak legion before suffering a serious injury in 1915. After returning from battle, he organized the Czechoslovak legions in France, closely collaborating with Edvard Beneš. His wartime achievements would earn him the Order of the French British Legions in 1926. In 1919, Kupka was appointed as a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, although he remained stationed in Paris, where he attended to Czech scholarship students up until 1938. In the 1920s, solo exhibitions of Kupka’s work were held at the Povolozky Gallery (1921) and the Galerie de la Boétie (1924). In 1931, he became a founding member of the art group Abstraction-Création, with which he would exhibit in the following years. In 1936, his work was featured in the legendary exhibition Cubism and Abstract Art at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which was curated by Alfred Barr and mapped the evolution of modern art. World War II forced a hiatus in Kupka’s work. In 1946, the National Gallery in Prague hosted a comprehensive exhibition of his work in the Mánes Exhibition Hall and acquired an extensive collection of his work for their permanent collection. In 1951, the Galerie Louis Carré held his solo exhibition at their branch in New York City. In 1958, a retrospective of Kupka’s work was held at the Musée National d´Art Moderne in Paris, where a significant part of his oeuvre is currently housed. In the same year, he represented Czechoslovakia in the 50 Years of Modern Art exhibition at the World Expo in Brussels. His first large-scale international exhibition was organized by the Musée National d´Art Moderne and the National Gallery in Prague; the show also travelled to Cologne, Munich, Vienna, and Amsterdam. His first extensive retrospective in the USA was held at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1975. The most recent notable exhibition of work was held in 2018 at the Grand Palais in Paris and was subsequently shown at the National Gallery Prague (2018) and the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki (2019). Apart from the National Gallery in Prague and Musée National d´Art Moderne in, housed in the Centre Georges Pompidou, Kupka’s work can also be found at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum Kampa in Prague.
