Jan Štursa

Jiří Hlušička, The Hascoe Collection of Czech Modern Art, Prague, 2004, no. S132, p. 205, catalogued; pl. 31, illustrated

Bronze, dull grey-black patina. There is some patina loss to the chest and some rubbing to the face (visible in the catalogue illustration). There are watermarks overall. Otherwise this work is in good condition.
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Despite his relatively brief life (he committed suicide in 1925 aged 45), Jan Štursa was one of the founding fathers of modern Czech sculpture.  His oeuvre had a profound influence on the younger generation of sculptors active in the nineteen twenties and thirties.

Štursa was not influenced by the Czech National Revival and instead tried to find his own way. Initially, he was inspired by the Art Nouveau style and the works of Rodin and Bourdelle. The female body became his most frequent motif, as evident in the present work and lots 15, 16, 54, 56, 100, 101 and 102. These works lyrically express the corporeality and spiritual essence of woman, as perceived by the artist.

Having served at the front, the tragedy of World War I deeply affected Štursa's artistic output. His most famous work of this period is The Wounded of 1921 (see list of Hascoe Private Treaty Sale lots at the end of this catalogue).

Fig. 1: Jan Štursa in his studio in 1915.
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