Vladimír Jindřich Bufka
Encyclopedia
Vladimír Jindřich Bufka (16 July 1887, Pavlovice u Kojetína
- 23 May 1916, Prague
) was a Czech photographer and popularizer of photography as well as an important exponent of pictorialism
in Czech photography during the early 20th century. Bufka's creative works span a wide range; he practiced landscape photography
, architectural photography
, photojournalism
, still life photography
, portrait photography
, astrophotography
and photomicrography. He was familiar with various photography techniques of the time including gum bichromate
, platinum print
, bromoil process
and autochrome.Mlčoch (2010), p. 11 He also gave lectures and seminars on photography, contributed to various specialized magazines and published a number of books. He died of leukemia
at the age of 28.
, he studied chemistry at the Czech Technical University in Prague
. Initially practicing photography as an amateur, he was a member of the Český klub fotografů amatérů (Czech Club of Amateur Photographers). His first photographs were published in 1908 in the illustrated magazine Český svět (Czech World).
Bufka popularized the autochrome technique, writing several essays on the topic, most importantly "O fotografování v barvách pomocí desky autochromové" (On Color Photography with the Help of the Autochrome Plate), published in 1910. The same year, Bufka published another book: "Stručný návod k nejdůležitějším pracím s deskami fotografickými a vyvolávacími papíry" (A Brief Guide to the Most Important Operations with Photographic Plates and with Photographic Paper). Bufka studied photography techniques in Lyon
, in the company of the Lumière brothers. In 1909, his lecture on autochrome in Prague is considered to be one of the first attempts to introduce the theory of photography to Bohemia.
From 1910 to 1911, Bufka worked in the Jan Langhans atelier in Prague and extended his knowledge of photography at Hermann C. Kosel's studio in Vienna
. In 1911, Bufka opened his own studio in Prague which gradually achieved a popularity comparable with that of the renowned atelier of František Drtikol
. In his later years, Bufka travelled to Warsaw
and Saint Petersburg
with the goal of documenting local art collections. In 1914/1915, he participated in a large photography exhibition held in Prague's Rudolfinum
.
After his death, his studio was managed by his wife Marie Bufková until 1928. Photographs taken there carried the stamp "Ateliér V. J. Bufka" even during the 1920s.
. His works are the first of their kind in the Central Europe
an context. He found inspiration in various art styles and genres, such as Impressionism
, Postimpressionism, Art Nouveau
, Symbolism, Decadence
, Cubism
, Futurism
and Art Deco
.
Pavlovice u Kojetína
Pavlovice u Kojetína is a village and municipality in Prostějov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 299 ....
- 23 May 1916, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
) was a Czech photographer and popularizer of photography as well as an important exponent of pictorialism
Pictorialism
Pictorialism is the name given to a photographic movement in vogue from around 1885 following the widespread introduction of the dry-plate process. It reached its height in the early years of the 20th century, and declined rapidly after 1914 after the widespread emergence of Modernism...
in Czech photography during the early 20th century. Bufka's creative works span a wide range; he practiced landscape photography
Landscape photography
Landscape photography is a genre intended to show different spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. This popular style of photography is practiced by professionals and amateurs alike. Photographs typically capture the presence of nature and are often free...
, architectural photography
Architectural photography
Architectural photography is the practice of photographing buildings and similar structures, both inside and out. Architectural photographs are usually produced by Architectural photographers, who are skilled in the use of specialized techniques and equipment...
, photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
, still life photography
Still life photography
Still life photography is the depiction of inanimate subject matter, most typically a small grouping of objects. Still life photography, more so than other types of photography, such as landscape or portraiture, gives the photographer more leeway in the arrangement of design elements within a...
, portrait photography
Portrait photography
Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people , in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject...
, astrophotography
Astrophotography
Astrophotography is a specialized type of photography that entails recording images of astronomical objects and large areas of the night sky. The first photographs of an astronomical object were taken in the 1840s, but it was not until the late 19th century that advances in technology allowed for...
and photomicrography. He was familiar with various photography techniques of the time including gum bichromate
Gum bichromate
Gum bichromate is a 19th century photographic printing process based on the light sensitivity of dichromates. It is capable of rendering painterly images from photographic negatives. Gum printing is traditionally a multi-layered printing process, but satisfactory results may be obtained from a...
, platinum print
Platinum print
Platinum prints, also called platinotypes, are photographic prints made by a monochrome printing process that provides the greatest tonal range of any printing method using chemical development....
, bromoil process
Bromoil Process
The Bromoil Process was an early photographic process that was very popular with the Pictorialists during the first half of the twentieth century...
and autochrome.Mlčoch (2010), p. 11 He also gave lectures and seminars on photography, contributed to various specialized magazines and published a number of books. He died of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
at the age of 28.
Biography
Vladimír Jindřich Bufka was born to the family of a bank officer. After graduating from high schoolGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, he studied chemistry at the Czech Technical University in Prague
Czech Technical University in Prague
Czech Technical University in Prague is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic, and the oldest institute of technology in Central Europe....
. Initially practicing photography as an amateur, he was a member of the Český klub fotografů amatérů (Czech Club of Amateur Photographers). His first photographs were published in 1908 in the illustrated magazine Český svět (Czech World).
Bufka popularized the autochrome technique, writing several essays on the topic, most importantly "O fotografování v barvách pomocí desky autochromové" (On Color Photography with the Help of the Autochrome Plate), published in 1910. The same year, Bufka published another book: "Stručný návod k nejdůležitějším pracím s deskami fotografickými a vyvolávacími papíry" (A Brief Guide to the Most Important Operations with Photographic Plates and with Photographic Paper). Bufka studied photography techniques in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, in the company of the Lumière brothers. In 1909, his lecture on autochrome in Prague is considered to be one of the first attempts to introduce the theory of photography to Bohemia.
From 1910 to 1911, Bufka worked in the Jan Langhans atelier in Prague and extended his knowledge of photography at Hermann C. Kosel's studio in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. In 1911, Bufka opened his own studio in Prague which gradually achieved a popularity comparable with that of the renowned atelier of František Drtikol
František Drtikol
František Drtikol was a Czech photographer of international renown. He is especially known for his characteristically epic photographs, often nudes and portraits.- Life and work :...
. In his later years, Bufka travelled to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
with the goal of documenting local art collections. In 1914/1915, he participated in a large photography exhibition held in Prague's Rudolfinum
Rudolfinum
The Rudolfinum is a music auditorium in Prague, Czech Republic. It is designed in the neo-renaissance style and is situated on Jan Palach Square on the bank of the river Vltava.-Overview:...
.
After his death, his studio was managed by his wife Marie Bufková until 1928. Photographs taken there carried the stamp "Ateliér V. J. Bufka" even during the 1920s.
Work
Bufka applied his deep knowledge of photographic techniques to his works and regularly explored the complex technical procedures of photography. He attempted to take photos in the evening, in the rain, or in back lightBacklighting (lighting design)
Backlighting refers to the process of illuminating the subject from the back. In other words, the lighting instrument and the viewer are facing towards each other, with the subject in between. This causes the edges of the subject to glow, while the other areas remain darker. The backlight can be a...
. His works are the first of their kind in the Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
an context. He found inspiration in various art styles and genres, such as Impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
, Postimpressionism, Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
, Symbolism, Decadence
Decadence
Decadence can refer to a personal trait, or to the state of a society . Used to describe a person's lifestyle. Concise Oxford Dictionary: "a luxurious self-indulgence"...
, Cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
, Futurism
Futurism
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century.Futurism or futurist may refer to:* Afrofuturism, an African-American and African diaspora subculture* Cubo-Futurism* Ego-Futurism...
and Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
.
Exhibitions
- Jubilejní výstava obchodní a živnostenské komory, Prague (1908)
- Výstava Českého klubu fotografů amatérů, Lucerna Prague (1911)
- Česká fotografická moderna, Uměleko průmyslové muzeumMuseum of Decorative Arts in PragueFounded in 1885, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague is housed in a Neo-Renaissance edifice built in 1897–1901 after the designs of architect Josef Schulz. The Museum’s rich collections include decorative and applied arts and design work ranging from Late Antiquity to the present day, with...
, Prague (1989) - Photographie der Moderne in Prag 1900-1925, Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz (1991)
- Moravská galerie BrnoMoravian Gallery in BrnoThe Moravian Gallery in Brno is the second largest art museum in the Czech Republic, established in 1961 by merging of two older institutions. It is situated in three main buildings: Pražák Palace, Governor's Palace and Museum of Decorative Arts...
(2010 - 2011)
Books
- Bufka, Vladimír Jindřich: O fotografování v barvách pomocí desky autochromové (On Color Photography with the Help of Autochrome Plate). E. Weinfurter, Prague 1910
- Bufka, Vladimír Jindřich: Stručný návod k nejdůležitějším pracím s deskami fotografickými a vyvolávacími papíry (A Brief Guide to the Most Important Operations with Photographic Plates and with Photographic Paper). E. Weinfurter, Prague 1910
- Bufka, Vladimír Jindřich: Katechismus fotografie (Catechism of Photography). Hejda a Tuček, Prague 1913
Articles
- "Internacionální kongres fotografický v Bruselu" (International Photo Congress in Brussels). Fot. věstník 1910, pp. 145ndash;146
- "Od úpatí Matternu a Monte Rosy" (From the Foot of Monte Rosa and Mattern). Světozor, 1910, No 8, pp. 179–180
- "Modní fotografie stylová" (Fashion Photography Style). Český svět VII, No 31, 14 April, 1911
- "O vývoji moderní fotografie" (On Development of Modern Photography). Veraikon 1912, pp. 67–69
- "Nejnovější výzkumy ve fotografii" (Recent Studies in Photography). Fot. věstník XXIII, 1912, pp. 161–163, 177–179
- "Moderní fotografie odvětvím uměleckého průmyslu grafického" (Modern Photography as a Part of the Graphic Arts Industry). Dílo 1913, pp. 73–75
- "Za světy hvězdné říše" (To the Worlds of Star Empire). Světozor, No 5, 20 March 1914
- "Praha" (Prague). Klub Za starou Prahu, Prague 1924 (1925, in French)