Charles Roka
Encyclopedia
Charles Roka was a Hungarian painter living in Norway
whose name became synonymous with an excess of artistic kitsch
.
Roka was born in Hungary
in 1912. After he finished his studies on the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest
he went on a European journey. In 1937 he finally settled in Norway, and lived in Bærum
, outside Oslo
until his death.
Roka attended one year at the Academy in Oslo. In 1939 he painted his first picture of the half-naked Gipsy Girl whom he had seen in Marseille
a few years earlier. It is Roka's numerous variations of this Gypsy Girl which made his financial success as a painter, but misfortune as an artist.
Roka was despised by the art world, he was nevertheless loved by the people. He became famous for his numerous variations of the Gipsy Girl, exotic looking Gypsies in a pin-up style and sentimental portraits of children with their pet dogs. His other favourite subjects were Hungarian folklore, especially Gipsy people dancing csárdás
.
Roka had several exhibitions in Madrid
, Barcelona
, and Lausanne
and he was very popular among the average Scandinavian people. In 1982 illness stopped him working. In 2003 Haugar Vestfold Kunstmuseum held a summer exhibition under the title Prince of Kitsch displaying about 80 of his works. It was the first time that a venerable art gallery let Roka's works within its walls.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
whose name became synonymous with an excess of artistic kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
.
Roka was born in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 1912. After he finished his studies on the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
he went on a European journey. In 1937 he finally settled in Norway, and lived in Bærum
Bærum
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandvika. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the west coast of the city....
, outside Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
until his death.
Roka attended one year at the Academy in Oslo. In 1939 he painted his first picture of the half-naked Gipsy Girl whom he had seen in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
a few years earlier. It is Roka's numerous variations of this Gypsy Girl which made his financial success as a painter, but misfortune as an artist.
Roka was despised by the art world, he was nevertheless loved by the people. He became famous for his numerous variations of the Gipsy Girl, exotic looking Gypsies in a pin-up style and sentimental portraits of children with their pet dogs. His other favourite subjects were Hungarian folklore, especially Gipsy people dancing csárdás
Csárdás
Csárdás is a traditional Hungarian folk dance, the name derived from csárda . It originated in Hungary and was popularized by Roma music bands in Hungary and neighboring lands of Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Burgenland, Croatia, Ukraine, Transylvania and Moravia, as well as among the Banat...
.
Roka had several exhibitions in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, and Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
and he was very popular among the average Scandinavian people. In 1982 illness stopped him working. In 2003 Haugar Vestfold Kunstmuseum held a summer exhibition under the title Prince of Kitsch displaying about 80 of his works. It was the first time that a venerable art gallery let Roka's works within its walls.