Otakar Štefl

Place: Havlíčkův Brod

Born: 1884

Death: 1945

Biography:

Otakar Štáfl was a Czech painter and illustrator. He was born on December 30, 1884, in Havlíčkův Brod, Czech Republic. His father, Josef Štáfl, was a local carver who made the famous Brodský Hnát. Otakar Štáfl studied at the local grammar school from 1897 to 1903, but he left to pursue his passion for art in Prague. He was accepted into the landscape school of Ferdinand Engelmüller. In 1903, he exhibited his first works at the Rudolfinum and began to gain recognition in the art world. He painted landscapes, especially of the High Tatras, and was known for his watercolors and oil paintings. Otakar Štáfl died on February 14, 1945, in Prague during an air raid.