Josef Capek was a Czech painter, writer, and critic known for his versatile contributions to modern art and literature, especially in his home country. Born on March 23, 1887, in Hronov, Austria-Hungary (now the Czech Republic), Josef was the older brother of the famous writer Karel Capek, with whom he frequently collaborated.
Capek's artistic journey began at the School of Applied Arts in Prague, followed by further studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. He was influenced by Cubism, and he developed his own interpretation of the style, which he applied not only in his paintings but also in works of graphic art, book illustration, and design. His approach to Cubism was distinctive and often incorporated elements of folk art and primitivism, which set his work apart from that of other European Cubists.
Aside from his visual art, Josef Capek was a prolific writer and poet and contributed significantly to Czech literary modernism. He also wrote plays, children's books, and was a well-respected art critic. In the realm of literature, he is perhaps best known for coining the term 'robot' in a play he wrote with his brother Karel, titled 'R.U.R.' (Rossum's Universal Robots), which premiered in 1920.
Capek's career was tragically cut short by the Second World War. An outspoken critic of fascism and totalitarianism, he was arrested by the Gestapo following the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. Josef Capek died in April 1945 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, just before the end of the war. Despite his premature death, his influence on Czech art and culture remains significant, and his works continue to be celebrated for their innovation and contribution to early 20th-century modernism.
