Karel Škréta Šotnovský ze Závořic was a Czechoslovakian portrait painter who worked in the Baroque style.
Background
He was born to a noble Protestant family that originally operated mills in South Bohemia, but moved to Kutna Hora, then Prague, where they occupied several official positions. His father died when he was only three, and he was commended to the care of the local schools, where he received a thorough classical education.
Education
lieutenant is uncertain where he learned painting, although he probably studied at the Royal Court, where he would have worked with Aegidius Sadeler.
Career
During this time, the Thirty Years" War had begun and Prague was taken by Catholic forces. He eventually made his way to Italy, spent a few years in Venice studying the works of Veronese, Tintoretto and Titian, then went to Rome in 1634. While there, he joined the Bentvueghels (a Dutch painters" association) under the pseudonym "Slagzwaart" (Broadsword).
By this time, he had already established himself as a portrait painter.
He opened a studio in 1645 and joined the artists" guild, serving as its chairman from 1651 to 1661. In addition to his portraits, he painted altarpieces and other decorations at several churches, including the Church of Our Lady before Týn, the Church of Saint Procopius, Žižkov and Saint Wenceslas Church in Zderaz.
Numerous streets have been named after him. In Vinohrady, Brno, Ostrava, Olomouc, Ústí nad Labem, Jihlava, Česká Lípa, Litoměřice, Vysoké Mýto, Hořice, Lysá nad Labem, Řevnice, Žatec and Plzeň.
He is also the subject of two theatrical works (both called Karel Škréta).
The first is a comedy, written in 1841 by Václav Alois Svoboda. The second is a comic opera, based on Svoboda"s play, written in 1883 by Karel Bendl, to a libretto by Eliška Krásnohorská. Although his art plays a role in the plots (especially at the climax), they feature romantic and political intrigues that end in murder.