František Winkler (the name Vladimir for him left over from the Russian captivity) was born in 1884 in the city of přerov near Olomouc in Moravia into a family of furniture makers. The boy early showed a love for art, his father sent to study at the industrial art school in Prague.
Old Prague Frantisek fascinated by its harmony of nature, architecture and sculpture. He is like a sponge, absorbing the imposing beauty of the city that is always filled his soul.
After graduation Frank went to study at the Academy of fine arts in the Studio of Professor Stanislav sukharda's (1866-1916). The lessons of the eminent sculptor and knowledge from the book "Modeling" English teacher E. Lanteri, whom Rodin called "dear teacher", has formed a budding sculptor. Since 1908 after graduation, Winkler began to create.
But the first world war broke out in 1914, turned his life. He was on the Russian-German front in the position of staff photographer. In early 1915, Winkler captured, nearly killed by a Cossack checkers and soon found himself in the distant Siberian city of Omsk as a prisoner of war.
Omsk in the early twentieth century, experienced a time of cultural and economic recovery. Laid him across the railway to the former Omsk military fortress flowed material and human resources, which led to the rapid construction of buildings, shops, temples, educational institutions and government agencies. All these buildings were in need of a sculptor, able to draw. The sculptor was in the Prime of life and creative forces - it was Winkler. A captured officer, unlike enlisted personnel, settled in the residential home and are allowed to move around the city without an escort.
Closer to the summer the city authorities sent a sculptor and his compatriots Karel Badge and Ivan Pozderac on the facades of the municipal theatre. In this work the sculptor has shown the temperament and creative imagination. In addition to cartouches, masks, shapes the way he created the busts of famous Russian writers L. N. Tolstoy and A. P. Chekhov, reflecting the brilliant talent of the portraitist. Above the cornice of the main facade it is fashioned from sand concrete three-meter statue of Winged glory by analogy with statues adorning the building of theaters in Prague and in Paris.
The wizard created the winged figure became a bright event for the provincial city lying in the depths of the vast Siberia. The figure represented the rise of the cultural life of the city.
The artistic intelligentsia of the city gladly accepted in the circle for the talented sculptor. Especially the close friendship he had with the artist A. N. By Klementiev (1875-1946) was one of the organizers in Omsk society of artists and Amateurs of fine arts of the Steppe. At his suggestion Winkler started teaching modeling courses.
In 1916, the sculptor was invited to decorate the facade of a building under construction commercial school. On the main facade, he performed mask "Commerce" and "mercury". The façade is a cartouche with the number "1916". In this regard, we should say that he was the only professional sculptor with an academic education. Across the Western-Siberian railway he was looking for assistants. So there was found the Ladislav Prenosil.
In February 1917 to design a great evening in Nobility Winkler molded the statue of "pan" based on the works by M. A. Vrubel. The eyes of the God of fields for emphasis, inside illuminated light bulb. In the same year, the sculptor successfully participated easel paintings in an art exhibition.
However, the main direction of creative activities Winkler remained monumental sculpture. The next major work was the design in 1917 of the facade of the Russian-Asian companies. The prototype of the Central relief of "Time and power" the master took the sculpture of the entrance of clam-Gaussovskogo Palace in Prague. Its composition, content Dating back to ancient mythology, it is filled with drama. Mighty elder God Chronos holds on the chain slowly depleting Power. The work attracts the attention of a black and white game and the emotional expression characteristic of the Baroque style. In the form of Time a family resemblance with the portrait of L. N. Tolstoy, as in Force discern the characteristics of the E. P. Mostovoy - the future wife of the sculptor.
The main work in Omsk for Winkler was the design in the same year the interiors and facades of the Management of the Omsk railway. In this work he was assisted Prenosil and crew of about 50 people. Four allegorical statues with the names: "Path", "Thrust", "Movement" and "Control" - Winkler sculpted himself out of the sand concrete at 20-meter height. Council chamber he designed a lush compositions in the spirit of the Spanish hall of Prague Castle. In the lobby, the sculptor has placed in relief the song "Life".
After completion of all works the Management building, reminiscent of Buckingham Palace and the space around it has acquired a Museum character.
In the spring of 1918 Winkler, registering your marriage with the young Omichka Lena Mostovoy, together with the Czechoslovak legionaries went to Vladivostok with the hope to return Home. In Omsk he left behind a rich artistic heritage, becoming the only artist, reflecting in his works the spirit of the age, status, cultural and economic recovery in Omsk.
Vladivostok in 1919 met them erupted in civil war. The birth of a son Vladimir has prevented a young family to go on the ocean in the distant Czech Republic. World war stole Winkler as the Odyssey, on the edge of the earth, blazing in the hearth of internecine fights, constantly threatening death. In the Inferno he tried to save his life and managed to create.
In 1923 Winkler headed the city's sculpture Studio, and the next year fulfilled the sculptural decoration of the building of the "New theatre". In 1926 the political leadership of the city approached him with a proposal on the facade of the "Palace of labour" to create a relief portraits of the leaders of the world proletariat V. I. Lenin and Marx, and building on the visor to carve the monumental composition "the Proletarian, breaking the chains on the globe". Great work the sculptor has done with honor. The figure of the Proletarian has become a symbol of a new socialist system on earth.
In 1927, the sculptor met with the Consul of the Czech Republic in Harbin, G. Hein, which encouraged the whole family to move to Harbin under the patronage of the Czech Consulate. The proposal was accepted, and in 1928 the family Winklerhof arrived in Harbin.
The city, founded by the Russians in 1898, at the intersection of the Songhua river and the Chinese military railway (CER), was a settlement of the European type with modern architecture.
First time in China to live in a big family was hard, but then life began to improve. By order of the Russian community Winkler created the busts of the murdered Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna and son. For the Iveron chapel of the St. Nicholas Cathedral he fashioned the figure of the winged angel with a cross. The figure was mounted on the roof of the chapel. In Harbin, the sculptor has created a lot of tombstones with figures of angels. And here he had no equal in skill.
In 1932, Japan occupied Manchuria and established in Harbin their power. To the family Winkler, the Japanese have endured, they even ordered him four statues for the embankment of the Songhua river. Performing this ordering, the sculptor sculpted child figures with his daughter Elena, and son, Igor.
In 1936, Elena gave birth to their sixth child - a daughter Marinello. In the same year, the sculptor created the bust of Czech President T. G. Masaryk, President of the government of Eduard Benes and the Consul G. Gein. Hope to return Home never left Winkler. But in 1939, she faded because the Czech Republic was occupied by Nazi Germany.
In 1941, grief befell the family of Winkler was tragically killed Elena, leaving Vladimir Frantsevich with a large number of children. The loss of his beloved wife was the most terrifying ordeal of the sculptor, besides living in a foreign country under occupation, whose homeland was under the rule of the Nazis. But we had to live at any cost!
In the autumn of 1945 Manchuria was liberated by the red Army. 15 September in Harbin held a Victory parade, to commemorate which it was decided to erect a Grand monument. Winkler suggested to make the reliefs for the 30-meter monument. In the result, four-meter figure of a tanker, infantryman, and the sailor was erected at the foot of the monument.
The name of the sculptor is widely known. In 1948, for the city of Anansi, he created a monumental statue of the soldier-liberator. Was another order of the Chinese authorities to the creation of the monument of Friendship, a four-meter figures of Stalin and Mao TSE-Tung. In his 64 years, the sculptor boldly undertook responsible work, but it is because of the bureaucracy of the Chinese officials was not finished. And left to stand two headless figures, calling in the soul of the author's bitter feelings. In 1949, the wizard created the reliefs for the monument to the victims of the anti-Japanese war. In later years he worked mostly on the design of the facades of public buildings. In this work he was helped by the son of Igor.
18 July 1956 Vladimir Frantsevich died. Visa for departure to the Czech Republic came after his death.
The master's works remained, scattered like a necklace in the vastness of Siberia, the Far East and China far from the homeland of the sculptor and unknown to her. Their high artistic level gives reason to believe that Winkler prominent Czech sculptor of the first half of the twentieth century. The hard way Winkler - man turned high mission Winkler sculptor. His work serves us to this day.
(article Viktor Kasyanov "Odiseya Czech sculptor")
