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The light of the Czech landscape

Josef Ullmann lived through a period of shifting boundaries in the Czech lands, moving from his birthplace in Nekmíř to the streets of Prague-Vinohrady. His hands learned the weight of oil and tempera under the guidance of Julius Mařák at the Academy of Painting in Prague. This training grounded him in the traditions of landscape art, yet his brushwork began to find its own rhythm.

His work often rests on cardboard or board, surfaces that hold the texture of his application. He did not rely solely on smooth transitions. Instead, he used larger and smaller spots of color, sometimes spreading pigments dry across the mat and other times layering them in thick pastes. This method allowed him to build a physical presence within scenes of forests and lakes.

A study of earth and atmosphere

The landscapes Ullmann painted carry the influence of Chittusian styles and the soft tendencies of art nouveau. He captured specific moments in the natural world, such as the quiet stillness of cottages in winter or the movement of a brook at night. In his 1915 work, Ländliche Szene, one can see a farm nestled in a low-lying area, where a woman and two oxen work a field under a quick, decisive brushstroke.

His technical approach changed as he worked. The early precision of his training gradually gave way to a more relaxed presentation. This shift strengthened the visual impact of his compositions. He focused on the following elements:

• The interplay of oil and tempera to create depth.
• The use of heavy pastes to mimic the ruggedness of terrain.
• The capture of light through varied, textured spots of color.

Through these choices, Ullmann documented the rural character of his surroundings. His paintings, such as Forest landscape with bridge and Wide landscape with farm, remain as physical records of a specific way of seeing the land.