Factory

Mikuláš Galanda prints bring home the quiet, lyrical world of one of the founders of modern Slovak art. Galanda painted mothers and children, women lost in thought and the people of the Slovak countryside, using simplified, slightly angular forms and a restrained palette. This collection of art prints gathers his paintings and drawings for anyone who loves early twentieth-century modernism with a gentle, melancholy mood.

About Mikuláš Galanda

Mikuláš Galanda was born on 4 May 1895 in the Turčianske Teplice area of Slovakia, then part of Austria-Hungary. He went to school in Lučenec and began studying painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest in 1914, but the First World War cut his studies short after two years.

In 1922 he moved to Prague, first to the School of Applied Arts and then to the Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied until 1927. In Prague he met the painter Ľudovít Fulla, who became his closest friend and ally. From 1924 to 1926 Galanda was also the first graphic editor of the left-leaning magazine Dav.

In 1929 Galanda settled in Bratislava, where he taught drawing and shared a studio with Fulla. Between 1930 and 1932 the two published a small journal of private letters calling on Slovak artists to drop outdated methods and find new ways of expressing modern life. In 1931 he married Mária, and in 1933 he became a professor at the School of Arts and Crafts in Bratislava.

His reputation grew quickly in the 1930s. He showed his work at the Venice Biennale in 1936, in Moscow, and in New York, and in 1937 he won a silver medal for his book illustrations and book design at the World Exhibition in Paris. He died suddenly in Bratislava on 5 June 1938, aged 43, and today rests in the National Cemetery in Martin.

Style and Subjects

Galanda wanted to build a modern Slovak art on the foundations of European painting, and you can see cubism, fauvism and expressionism in the way he simplifies faces and bodies into clear, stylized shapes. His colour is often limited to a few soft tones, which gives the paintings a calm, lyrical feel. In the late 1920s and early 1930s he went through a "pink" phase of Madonnas and nudes.

Women are at the centre of his work: mothers holding babies, women in headscarves, women reading, grieving or resting, brides and Madonnas. The Slovak National Gallery describes his women as melancholy, lyrical and a little angular. Alongside them he painted the Slovak landscape and its people, and he was a busy illustrator and book designer.

Famous Works

• Combing (Morning) (1931), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. A woman at her morning routine, painted in oil with Galanda's typical simplified forms.
• Pink Nude (1931), private collection. A portrait of his wife Mária from his "pink" period; she hid it inside a wall during the Second World War to keep it safe.
• Slovak Family (1929), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. A pen-and-ink drawing of a family group that shows his clean, confident line.
• From the Pasture (Autumn) (1936), Turiec Gallery, Martin. A rural scene that reflects his lifelong interest in Slovak country life.
• Poet (1937–1938), Turiec Gallery, Martin. One of his last oil paintings, a figure study from the final years of his career.
• Mother with Her Child at a Poppy Head (1938), Turiec Gallery, Martin. A late version of the mother-and-child theme he returned to again and again.

Decorating with Galanda Prints

Galanda's mothers and children, with their soft colour and calm mood, suit bedrooms, nurseries and quiet reading corners. His Madonnas and pink-toned nudes also work well in a bedroom or a dressing area, where their gentle, private feeling fits the room.

His country scenes and line drawings such as Slovak Family suit hallways, studies and living rooms with a simple, modern look. Because his palette is restrained, Galanda wall art sits comfortably next to natural wood, linen and plain painted walls, and a few of his drawings grouped together make a clean gallery wall.

FAQ

What art movement was Mikuláš Galanda part of?

Galanda was a leading figure of Slovak modernism in the 1920s and 1930s. His work draws on cubism, fauvism and expressionism, which he adapted to Slovak subjects.

What is Mikuláš Galanda's most famous painting?

He is best known for his paintings of women and mothers, such as Combing (Morning) in the Slovak National Gallery and his late mother-and-child paintings. Pink Nude, a portrait of his wife, is another well-known work.

Where can I see Mikuláš Galanda's original paintings?

The Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava and the Turiec Gallery in Martin hold many of his works. A gallery with a permanent display of his work opened in his birth house in Turčianske Teplice in 1991.

How can I recognize a Galanda painting?

Look for women and mothers drawn with simplified, slightly angular shapes, a quiet and often melancholy mood, and a limited, soft palette. His strong, clear outlines also show his background in drawing and illustration.

What was Galanda's connection to Ľudovít Fulla?

The two painters met as students in Prague, later shared a studio in Bratislava, and together published a journal calling for a new, modern Slovak art. They are often seen as the pair who set Slovak painting on its modern course.

Related Artists

• Ľudovít Fulla: Galanda's friend, studio partner and co-founder of modern Slovak art
• Pablo Picasso: leading figure of cubism, one of the movements that shaped Galanda
• Georges Braque: co-founder of cubism, whose simplified forms echo in Galanda's figures
• Henri Matisse: leading figure of fauvism, another influence on Galanda's painting