František Drtikol | Symbolist /Visionary photographer

František Drtikol (1883-1961) was a Czech photographer of international renown.

He is especially known for his characteristically epic photographs and portraits.

From 1907-1910 he had his own studio, until 1935 he operated an important portrait photo studio in Prague on the fourth floor of one of Prague's remarkable buildings, a Baroque corner house at 9 Vodičkova, now demolished. Jaroslav Rössler, an important avant-garde photographer, was one of his pupils.

Drtikol made many portraits of very important people and nudes which show development from pictorialism and symbolism to modern composite pictures of the body with geometric decorations and thrown shadows, where it is possible to find a number of parallels with the avant-garde works of the period.

These are reminiscent of Cubism, and at the same time his nudes suggest the kind of movement that was characteristic of the futurism aesthetic.

He began using paper cut-outs in a period he called "photopurism". These photographs resembled silhouettes of the human form. Later he gave up photography and concentrated on painting.

After the studio was sold Drtikol focused mainly on painting, Buddhist religious and philosophical systems. In the final stage of his photographic work Drtikol created compositions of little carved figures, with elongated shapes, symbolically expressing various themes from Buddhism.

In the 1920s and 1930s, he received significant awards at international photo salons.

Drtikol has published:

• "Le nus de Drtikol", 1929;
• Žena ve světle /Woman in the Light. | © Wikipedia

František Drtikol (Příbram, 3 marzo 1883 - Praga, 13 gennaio 1961) è stato un fotografo Ceco di rilevanza internazionale.

Dopo aver seguito i corsi presso la Lehr und Versuchsanstalt fur Photographie di Monaco, aprì lo studio nel 1907 a Praga e si specializzò nei ritratti delle personalità dell'epoca.

Nelle sue immagini, lo stile pittorialista e simbolista cede il passo a composizioni più moderne che trovano analogie con le opere delle avanguardie dell'epoca, in particolare con quelle del cubismo.

Realizza nuovi dinamici rapporti fra il corpo femminile ed emblematici elementi geometrici di legno che suggeriscono il senso del movimento proprio del futurismo.

Tra il 1930-1935 fotografa solo statuette. Quando nel 1935 chiuse lo studio si dedicò alla pittura, alla meditazione e alla filosofia orientale.

Ha pubblicato: Le nus de Drtikol (1929) e Zena ve svetle (1938). | © Wikipedia