František Kaván

František Kaván (September 10 1866, Víchovská Lhota near Jilemnice - December 16 1941, Libuň near Jičín) was Czech painter and poet.

Kaván studied gymnasium in Hradec Králové (finished in 1888). During 1889 to 1896 he studied painting at the academy in Prague under the guidance of Julius Mařák. He was a member of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. He spent the end of his life in the area of Krkonoše (his birthplace). Kaván was a very humble and likeable person who had given away most of his paintings.

As painter he specialised in realistic landscapes and created over 4000 paintings. He concentrated on mountain areas of Krkonoše and Vysočina.

Unlike his paintings, Kaván's poems were soon forgotten. He also translated literary works from Russian.

External links

* [http://www.knihzdar.cz/knihovna/foto/foto_kavan.htm Short biography, portrait and one painting (in Czech)]
* [http://antik-kant.cz/poradna/poradce/kavan.html Another biography (in Czech)]