17. století
Karel Skreta
Major Baroque master painter
Significant photo
Fotogalerie
Info text
The early years of Karel Skreta’s artistic life are inherently linked to the exceptional atmosphere reigning in Prague during the rule of the art aficionado Emperor Rudolf II. After the religious turmoil ended with a defeat of the Protestants on the White Mountain, Skreta was forced to leave Bohemia in 1627, together with most Protestants. He traveled across Germany and reached Italy where he visited the main artistic centers: Venice, Florence and Rome. He converted
to Catholicism during his stay in Italy, which enabled him to return to Prague in 1638. His work is incredibly complicated, it oscillates between dramatic Baroque dynamism full of colors and Baroque classicism. He was strongly influenced by Caravaggio’s Tenebrism, with which he became familiar in Rome. Skreta’s paintings can be admired within a permanent exhibition of the National Gallery, many are also hanging in various churches all over Prague.
