(1912), currently in the Gallery of Visual Arts in
Ostrava The art tradition in the Czech lands starts with engravings on
mammoth tusks found in
Pavlov and
Předmostí at Přerov, and various
Venus figurines, the most famous being the
Venus of Dolní Věstonice. Artists from medieval times are mostly anonymous. The three most notable might be
Master of the Litoměřice Altarpiece,
Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece and
Master of Vyšší Brod. Another notable Czech
gothic artist is
Master Theodoric, a court painter of the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV and his work in
Karlštejn.
Karel Škréta's portraits,
Wenceslaus Hollar's
engravings and
etchings or
Ferdinand Brokoff's statues on
Charles Bridge belong among the best examples of Czech
baroque art. One of the most prominent Czech
romanticist painters was
Josef Mánes, whose pupil was the versatile draftsman, illustrator and facade decorator
Mikoláš Aleš. One of the leading figures of
Art Nouveau was
Alphonse Mucha, best known for his theatrical posters and decorative panels.
Bohumil Kubišta created some of the most influential works of Czech
expressionism and
cubism.
Josef Lada was one of the most notable Czech illustrators of the 20th century together with
Zdeněk Burian, famous for his work in
Paleoart. One of the founding figures of modern Czech
abstract art was
František Kupka, whose painting
Divertimento II sold in 2020 set the new Czech auction record.
Zdeněk Miler was one of the most recognised Czech animators and cartoonists, known for his character of
The Little Mole (
Krteček in Czech).
Cinema built in
Art Deco style c. 1920 The history of Czech cinema starts with
Jan Kříženecký, an early pioneer of cinematography from the end of the 19th century. The first major film studio,
Barrandov Studios, was launched by
Miloš Havel in 1933.
Otakar Vávra was among the most notable domestic directors in Czechoslovakia from the late 1930s onward. In the 1960s – leading up to the
Prague Spring of 1968 – the
Czechoslovak New Wave emerged, led by directors like
Miloš Forman,
Věra Chytilová or
Jiří Menzel. Miloš Forman managed to flee before the
invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and continued his career in the United States, where he reached high critical acclaim and received two
Academy Awards for Best Director for his movies ''
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Amadeus'' (1984). Jiří Menzel was another Academy Award laureate, winning the 1967 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film with his first feature film,
Closely Watched Trains. A contemporary director
Jan Svěrák is another laureate of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, which he received for his drama
Kolya in 1996. The Czech Republic also has a long tradition in animated movies. The most notable animator is
Jiří Trnka – active from 1940s to 1960s – recognised especially for his
stop motion puppet movies. Some examples of notable animated series are
The Little Mole and
Pat & Mat.
Music One of the most notable early baroque composers is
Adam Václav Michna of Otradovice, who lived in
Jindřichův Hradec in the 17th century. He is the author of the oldest known Czech
Christmas carol Chtíc, aby spal. The biggest name among the Czech 18th century composers is probably
Jan Dismas Zelenka, who was the director of the renowned
Dresden Hofkapelle. He was also a great inspiration for
Bedřich Smetana, who is generally considered one of the most influential Czech composers of 19th century classical music together with
Antonín Dvořák and
Leoš Janáček. Of these three, the one best known internationally is Antonín Dvořák, being well received in the Great Britain and spending three years in the US as the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. Dvořák's
New World Symphony became "one of the most popular of all time" according to Clapham. 19th century Bohemia is also a cradle of the popular folk dance
Polka. Among the Czech musicians of the 20th century,
Karel Gott stands out the most, being the 42 times winner of the
Český slavík for the best male singer. He was one of the few musicians who were allowed to perform in the
Western Bloc during the Cold War, becoming known as the "Golden voice of Prague".
Theatre Czech theatrical tradition played a big part in the
Czech National Revival. Opening of the
National Theatre in Prague in 1881 was a great success of the Czech nationalists. In 1920,
Karel Čapek published his science fiction play
R.U.R., where he introduced the word "
robot" to the English language and to
science fiction as a whole. A famous
avant-garde theatre formed in the 1920s was the
Osvobozené divadlo (
Liberated theatre in English) of
Jan Werich and
Jiří Voskovec.
Václav Havel – one of the leaders of the democratic dissent during the rule of the
Communist Party and the first Czech president – was also a playwright, best known for his 1963
absurd play The Garden Party, which criticized
conformism in socialist Czechoslovakia.
Literature The earliest written works associated with the Kingdom of
Bohemia are
Middle Latin works written in the 12th to 13th centuries. The majority of works from this period are chronicles and
hagiographies. Notable contemporary authors include
Milan Kundera,
Josef Škvorecký and
Bohumil Hrabal.
Video games Czech video games include internationally successful game titles such as
Operation Flashpoint,
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven and
Euro Truck Simulator. Several world-renowned game studios operate in the Czech Republic, including
2K Czech,
Bohemia Interactive,
SCS Software,
Amanita Design, and
Madfinger Games. Since 2010, Czech games have been recognized at Anifilm as part of the Czech Game of the Year competition. ==Folklore and traditions==