maternity nursing dying day Matulka, Jan (1890-1972) - 1902 New England Landscape (Landesmuseum, Linz, Austria) the boy in the pajamas

dying day Matulka, Jan (1890-1972) - 1902 New England Landscape (Landesmuseum, Linz, Austria) the boy in the pajamas
"New England Landscape" Signed lower left. Oil on canvas. 27" x 33" Jan Matulka was a Czech-American modern artist originally from Bohemia. Matulka's style would range from Abstract expressionism to landscapes, sometimes in the same day. In 1907 Jan, his parents, and his five younger sisters moved to The Bronx. In 1908 he began studying at the National Academy of Design in New York City. Upon graduation in 1917 Matulka met Ludmila "Lída" Jiroušková who became his wife. Lída worked for the New York Public Library as the head of the Czechoslovak literature section and helped connect her husband to the larger cultural community. Between 1917 and 1918 Matulka traveled around the United States and the Caribbean as the first recipient of the Joseph Pulitzer National Traveling Scholarship. The next few years Jan and Lida traveled to Czechoslovakia to visit the old family farm, as well as Germany and France. Matulka found inspiration in the scenery of Tŭri Pôle village, a place that fueled many more paintings over the years. Jan established a studio in Paris and would over-winter. In Paris he was acquaintances with Gertrude Stein, André Lhote, Jean Lurçat, Josef Šíma, Václav Vytlačil, and Albert Gleizes. In the 1920s Matulka maintained both his studios, frequently traveling to and fro from Paris to New York City. Around the middle of the decade Matulka began painting stark and jazzy cityscapes. This by no means meant he limited himself to that style, as he was also painting landscapes in Cape Ann, as well as abstract pieces. In 1927, Matulka began an association with the Frank K. M. Rehn Gallery. The clientele of the gallery wanted more conservative and representational works so Matulka complied because he needed the income. Again, this did not preve! nt him from painting in other styles for other outlets. In 1928 he began drawing from the model when he started meeting with the Society of Independent Artists, while contributing illustrations to the socialist Dělník Kalendar. With help from Max Weber and Václav Vytlačil, Matulka landed a teaching job at the Art Students League of New York, his first salaried position. Being the only modernist faculty member, his classes were quite popular. His students included Dorothy Dehner, Francis Criss, Burgoyne Diller, I. Rice Pereira, and David Smith. Matulka was pushed out of his position at the Art Students League by conservative factions in 1931. Matulka continued teaching one-on-one classes for a time after that. Personal and global financial woes soon prevented Matulka from traveling annually to Paris. In 1928 he sublet his studio there to jazz painter Stuart Davis. Later Josef Šíma sublet it, taking it over completely in 1934. Šíma stored all Matulka's paintings and other works left in the studio, eventually transporting them to his own house in Fontainebleau, where unfortunately they did not survive World War II. From 1934 until 1935 Matulka became one of the few abstract painters to join ! the Public Works of Art Project, giving him a taste for murals and public art. Immediately afterward he joined the Federal Art Project and also worked on the Williamsburg Houses. In 1936 Matulka helped found the American Abstract Artists, but refused to join the group. His emotional state continued to decline, even more so when his sister Barbara killed herself on July 5. By the time his association with the Federal Art Project ended in 1939 he had become even more socially and emotionally isolated. He continued painting more and more experimental works. Over the next few decades Matulka received much acclaim from his exhibitions, but remains relatively withdrawn from society. As age caught up with him, he suffered from many health issues, including deafness. Matulka died June 25, 1972 in New York City.