Špála, Václav

Born Aug. 24, 1885, in Žlunice; died May 13, 1946, in Prague. Czech painter.

Špála studied in 1902 at the School of Industrial Arts and from 1903 to 1908 at the Academy of Arts in Prague. Špála’s work has features in common with fauvism, but the basic characteristics of his paintings, particularly his still lifes, is the stylization and development of the traditions of Czech folk art.