This work, representing the best of the artist’s interwar period, comes from the collection of Karel Čapek, a close friend of Václav Špála and a passionate collector with truly refined taste. The expressively rendered Laundress walks briskly barefoot against the wind blowing her skirt dramatically beyond the edge of the picture. Her right foot extends beyond the composition, as does the washed clothes she holds on her head; Špála used these features to express the movement. The depicted countrywoman gives the impression that she would perhaps leave the space defined by the frame. In a dynamic scene composed of faceted areas of two dominant colours, red and blue (supplemented by white), the artist achieved a vivid depiction in his characteristic colour range. He chose a very optimistic subject matter; influenced by primitivism, he depicted the merging of man and nature, and he liked to return to countrywomen, in particular, several times in his work. For him, they symbolised the carefreeness and celebration of everyday life associated with the first post-war years. The high collectible value of this work is enhanced by the frequency of its publication and presentation in major exhibitions (e.g. One Hundred Years of Czech Art 1830–1930, Mánes Exhibition Hall, Prague, November–December 1930, cat. No. 359; most likely also the second exhibition of the Tvrdošíjní artistic group in the Weinert Art and Auction Hall, Prague, January 1920, cat. No. 45). Additionally, it comes from the collection of Karel Čapek, counted among the most famous art collections of Czech modern history. Assessed during consultations by prof. J. Zemina and PhDr. R. Michalová, Ph.D. The expertise of PhDr. K. Srp is attached.

Published:

·       V. Špála: Musaion VII., Prague 1927, not pag.

·       A. Matějček / E. Filla / B. Fučík: Václav Špála, Prague 1935, p. 21, fig. 17

·       V. M. Nebesky: L’art moderne tchécoslovaque (1905–1933), Paris 1937, not pag., fig. 47

·       Exhibition catalogue: National Artist Václav Špála, Posthumous Exhibition, Mánes Exhibition Hall, Prague, September – October 1947, not pag., cat. No. 78

·       A. Matějček / E. Filla / J. Krofta: Václav Špála, Prague 1948, not pag., fig. 12

·       Exhibition catalogue: National Artist Václav Špála, Figurative Paintings, Mánes Exhibition Hall, Prague, June – August 1957, not pag., cat. No. 78

Presented at the artist’s solo exhibitions:

·       Václav Špála: Comprehensive Exhibition, Mánes Exhibition Hall, Prague, February 1925, cat. No. 37

·       Comprehensive Exhibition of the Work of Václav Špála, Mánes Exhibition Hall, Prague, 1. 3. – 10. 4. 1935, cat. No. 59

·       In memoriam Václav Špála, Brno House of Arts, 1.–30. 6. 1946

·       National Artist Václav Špála: Posthumous Exhibition, Mánes Exhibition Hall, Prague, September – October 1947, cat. No. 78

·       National Artist Václav Špála: Figurative Paintings, Mánes Exhibition Hall, Prague, June – August 1957, cat. No. 78

·       Malir Vaclav Spala 1885–1946, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 14. 4. – 15. 5. 1961, cat. No. 28

·    Václav Špála, Vincenc Kramář Gallery, Prague, 9. 1. – 16. 2. 1969, cat. No. 32