Oton Gliha
Encyclopedia
Oton Gliha was a Croatia
n painter
of Slovenia
n descent. He was born on May 21, 1914 in Črnomelj
, Slovenia
, in a Slovenia
n family originating from Istra
, (Istria
). The families residence was dictated by his father's civil service. Until the age
of ten, he lived in Slavonia
, (eastern Pannonian part of Croatia
), and later moved to Zagreb
where he completed his secondary education. Oton graduated from the Academy of fine Arts in Zagreb
in 1937. The artist's teachers were prominent artists Maksimilijan Vanka
, Marino Tartaglia
, Ljubo Babić
. He visited, studied and work in Paris
, Vienna
and Munich
to enhanced his artistic expression.
s and still life
s using not very bright colours. His landscapes
expressed Paul Cézanne
's construction of paintings. Gliha's portraits pointed out only the most important features of forms, while his still life was made from that much of the paint, they became almost of the relief
form. He spent time in Paris
. During the summers Gliha used to live in Zagreb while cold wintry days were to be spent in Omišalj
(on island Krk
) with occasional travel abroad (Italy
in 1952 and 1961, USA in 1958 and 1979).
of Krk and decided to find his artistic inspiration
in the very beauty of its coast
al landscapes. Gliha made his living from his paintings and was inrestrained by any pedagogical
and any other norms in art.
"I once experienced the picture of that landscape from Krk, furrowed by dry stone walls as an old table with Glagolitic script carved upon it. This association might seem strange, funny even, but for me it became fatal at that moment. It helped me unravel all that excitement that I used to carry within myself, observing that strange geometry
, architecture
sculpture
..." Oton Gliha 1954.
5-71 in the Zagreb Modern Gallery. The parallelogram
s, triangle
s. Also circle
s, various other forms caught by oil paint
or other graphic techniques, creating most fantastic whirlpool of rhythm
, lines and surface
s. Once, the colours would be lively and joyful like that one of the Sun
color spectrum, while on another occasion just monochrome
, sad, like that one of the pale surface
of the Moon
.
Gliha noted an occurrence in 1954:
, and at the same time it has become the motif of painting art. In the closing words of the Preface to the catalogue of one of Gliha's last one-man exhibitions
(MGM Gradec, 1989), Zdenko Tonkovic, one of the best connoisseurs of the painter's opus, points out that Gliha created something constant from the informel, in the sense of what Cézanne wanted to do from Impressionism
. As Tonkovic suggests, the poetics and materialization of Gliha's paintings should make us recognize the painter's gene that we can find in the works of all great painters when they have reached the peak of their life's perception.
, inspiration
and painting code enabled Oton Gliha to discover the genuine, autochthonous painter's world that has made Croatian painting part of the general history of art. It does not hurt to note that the Guggenheim Museum
in New York
bought one of Gliha's paintings as early as 1958, and that the painter had one-man exhibitions in the leading modern art galleries in Turin
, 1960; São Paulo, 1961 and Milan
, in 1964. He participated at the 31st and 32nd Biennale
in Venice
and he also painted his dry stone walls on large compositions for public venues: - like the frescos in the Federal Executive Council
in Belgrade
, 1962, the mosaic
in the lounge of the Krk airport, 1970, and the festive curtain of the National Theatre in Rijeka
, 1981.
Oton Gliha died in Zagreb on June 19, 1999.
s, article
s and interview
s in local and international media.
The monograph
was published by publishing house Masmedia
less than two years after the painter's death; it contains all the relevant works of Gliha's rich opus. There are only two or three paintings missing, as they were not available to the publisher. We can therefore say that the monograph represents a complete document of Gliha's art. http://www.masmedia.hr
Oton Gliha's work makes him a very specific participant in the adventure of modern art. The fate connected him with gromače (dry stone walls) and he maintained his loyalty to them throughout his lifetime. Gliha painted other motifs, too (landscapes, portraits, still life...), but his entire opus, that ranks him among the renowned European
painters of the 20th century, is linked with the landscape of the island of Krk and with - gromače.
, USA. Email: [www.DrJohnGriffin@gmail.com]. He acquired his Gromace painting in 1966 while in Washington, D.C.
. He obtained it from an American socialite
who bought the painting directly from Oton Gliha while she was visiting Prague
. Gliha accepted $1,500 cash from her for the painting. He told her that the painting was worth much more but he needed U.S. dollar
s to buy an automobile.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
of Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n descent. He was born on May 21, 1914 in Črnomelj
Crnomelj
Črnomelj is a town and municipality in southeastern Slovenia. It lies on the left bank of the Lahinja and Dobličica rivers. The municipality is at the heart of the area of White Carniola, the southeastern part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, in a Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n family originating from Istra
Istra
Istra is a town and the administrative center of Istrinsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Istra River, west of Moscow, on the Moscow–Riga railway...
, (Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
). The families residence was dictated by his father's civil service. Until the age
Ageing
Ageing or aging is the accumulation of changes in a person over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline...
of ten, he lived in Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
, (eastern Pannonian part of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
), and later moved to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
where he completed his secondary education. Oton graduated from the Academy of fine Arts in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in 1937. The artist's teachers were prominent artists Maksimilijan Vanka
Maksimilijan Vanka
Maksimilijan Vanka , also known as Maxo Vanka, was a Croatian-American artist.Maxo Vanka was born in Croatia in 1889. It is believed that he may have been the illegitimate child of Habsburg nobility. He was sent to live with peasants, but at the age of eight was discovered by his maternal...
, Marino Tartaglia
Marino Tartaglia
Marino Tartaglia was a Croatian painter and art teacher, for many years a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb.From 1948 he was a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He received the Vladimir Nazor Award for lifetime achievement in the arts in 1964.- Biography :Marino...
, Ljubo Babić
Ljubo Babić
Ljubo Babić , was a Croatian painter, graphic artist, theatrical set and costume designer, teacher, art historian, critic, and museum curator. As an artist, he worked in a variety of media including oils, tempera, watercolour, drawing, etching, and lithography...
. He visited, studied and work in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 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...
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
to enhanced his artistic expression.
Early years
In his early years, he painted portraitPortrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s and still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
s using not very bright colours. His landscapes
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
expressed Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
's construction of paintings. Gliha's portraits pointed out only the most important features of forms, while his still life was made from that much of the paint, they became almost of the relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
form. He spent time in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. During the summers Gliha used to live in Zagreb while cold wintry days were to be spent in Omišalj
Omišalj
Omišalj is a small coastal town in the north-west of the island of Krk in Croatia. The population of the town itself is 1,790 , while the Omišalj municipality also includes the nearby Njivice, bringing the total up to 2,998 people...
(on island Krk
Krk
Krk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
) with occasional travel abroad (Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1952 and 1961, USA in 1958 and 1979).
Marriage and beyond
After marriage to Mila Kumbatovic who was his student colleague, he embraced her native islandIsland
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of Krk and decided to find his artistic inspiration
Artistic inspiration
Inspiration refers to an unconscious burst of creativity in a literary, musical, or other artistic endeavour. Literally, the word means "breathed upon," and it has its origins in both Hellenism and Hebraism. The Greeks believed that inspiration came from the muses, as well as the gods Apollo and...
in the very beauty of its coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al landscapes. Gliha made his living from his paintings and was inrestrained by any pedagogical
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
and any other norms in art.
"I once experienced the picture of that landscape from Krk, furrowed by dry stone walls as an old table with Glagolitic script carved upon it. This association might seem strange, funny even, but for me it became fatal at that moment. It helped me unravel all that excitement that I used to carry within myself, observing that strange geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
..." Oton Gliha 1954.
Stone walls
This is how the dry stone walls (Gromace) came to be created. It is exhibitArt exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
5-71 in the Zagreb Modern Gallery. The parallelogram
Parallelogram
In Euclidean geometry, a parallelogram is a convex quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides. The opposite or facing sides of a parallelogram are of equal length and the opposite angles of a parallelogram are of equal measure...
s, triangle
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
s. Also circle
Circle
A circle is a simple shape of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane that are a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any of the points and the centre is called the radius....
s, various other forms caught by oil paint
Oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
or other graphic techniques, creating most fantastic whirlpool of rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
, lines and surface
Surface
In mathematics, specifically in topology, a surface is a two-dimensional topological manifold. The most familiar examples are those that arise as the boundaries of solid objects in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space R3 — for example, the surface of a ball...
s. Once, the colours would be lively and joyful like that one of the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
color spectrum, while on another occasion just monochrome
Monochrome
Monochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or shades of one color. A monochromatic object or image has colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white...
, sad, like that one of the pale surface
Surface
In mathematics, specifically in topology, a surface is a two-dimensional topological manifold. The most familiar examples are those that arise as the boundaries of solid objects in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space R3 — for example, the surface of a ball...
of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
.
Gliha noted an occurrence in 1954:
"I once experienced the picture of that landscape from Krk, furrowed by dry stone walls as an old table with Glagolitic script carved upon it. This association might seem strange, funny even, but for me it became fatal at that moment. It helped me unravel all that excitement that I used to carry within myself, observing that strange geometryGeometryGeometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, architectureArchitectureArchitecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and sculptureSculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
that man had unconsciously created in his struggle with stone. By making the mean earth free of stone, the man used the same stone to put it back to captivity, by fencing it off by dry stone walls. When I stand within them I feel, I don't know why, very happy and filled by some silent festive joy. I feel the presence of a multitude of people and can hear their voices. The time seems to have come to a standstill, reality becomes unreal. The faraway past seems to be the present; the present and future seem like the past: I experience an intense feeling of the presence of eternity. This spiritual state gives me power and stamina."
Creative periods
The painting from the Modern Gallery in Zagreb, marked 5 – 71, belongs to Gliha's best works where he investigates the depth of the picture's space, the effect of light on the ethereal quality of the atmosphere and the colouristic accents upon the plasticity of the form. It is a painting from Gliha's classic 60s and 70s, when his style spoke out in its full maturity and problem topicality. The painting of Oton Gliha in the corpus of 20th century modern art is a completely isolated phenomenon. His painting has an identifiable motifMotif (art)
In art, a motif is an element of a pattern, an image or part of one, or a theme. A motif may be repeated in a design or composition, often many times, or may just occur once in a work. A motif may be an element in the iconography of a particular subject or type of subject that is seen in other...
, and at the same time it has become the motif of painting art. In the closing words of the Preface to the catalogue of one of Gliha's last one-man exhibitions
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
(MGM Gradec, 1989), Zdenko Tonkovic, one of the best connoisseurs of the painter's opus, points out that Gliha created something constant from the informel, in the sense of what Cézanne wanted to do from 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...
. As Tonkovic suggests, the poetics and materialization of Gliha's paintings should make us recognize the painter's gene that we can find in the works of all great painters when they have reached the peak of their life's perception.
Beyond Croatia
Dry stone walls as a motifMotif (art)
In art, a motif is an element of a pattern, an image or part of one, or a theme. A motif may be repeated in a design or composition, often many times, or may just occur once in a work. A motif may be an element in the iconography of a particular subject or type of subject that is seen in other...
, inspiration
Artistic inspiration
Inspiration refers to an unconscious burst of creativity in a literary, musical, or other artistic endeavour. Literally, the word means "breathed upon," and it has its origins in both Hellenism and Hebraism. The Greeks believed that inspiration came from the muses, as well as the gods Apollo and...
and painting code enabled Oton Gliha to discover the genuine, autochthonous painter's world that has made Croatian painting part of the general history of art. It does not hurt to note that the Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
bought one of Gliha's paintings as early as 1958, and that the painter had one-man exhibitions in the leading modern art galleries in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, 1960; São Paulo, 1961 and Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, in 1964. He participated at the 31st and 32nd Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and he also painted his dry stone walls on large compositions for public venues: - like the frescos in the Federal Executive Council
Federal Executive Council
The Federal Executive Council is the formal body holding executive authority under the Constitution of Australia. It is equivalent to the other Executive Councils in other Commonwealth Realms such as the Executive Council of New Zealand and is equivalent to the Privy councils in Canada and the...
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, 1962, the mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
in the lounge of the Krk airport, 1970, and the festive curtain of the National Theatre in Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, 1981.
Oton Gliha died in Zagreb on June 19, 1999.
Additional information
The last monograph (ISBN 953-157-102-3) was published in 2001. The book contains detailed studies on Oton Gliha and an abundance of documentary material. The book lists all of his major local and international exhibitions, reviewReview
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
s, article
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s and interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s in local and international media.
The monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
was published by publishing house Masmedia
Masmedia
MASMEDIA is a Croatian company, established in 1990 as a publishing house that publishes business, professional and specialized books; magazines; and electronic publications...
less than two years after the painter's death; it contains all the relevant works of Gliha's rich opus. There are only two or three paintings missing, as they were not available to the publisher. We can therefore say that the monograph represents a complete document of Gliha's art. http://www.masmedia.hr
Oton Gliha's work makes him a very specific participant in the adventure of modern art. The fate connected him with gromače (dry stone walls) and he maintained his loyalty to them throughout his lifetime. Gliha painted other motifs, too (landscapes, portraits, still life...), but his entire opus, that ranks him among the renowned European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
painters of the 20th century, is linked with the landscape of the island of Krk and with - gromače.
Note
One of those missing paintings is held by an American, Dr. John Griffin, of Lighthouse Point, FloridaLighthouse Point, Florida
Lighthouse Point is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city was named for the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse, which is located in nearby Hillsboro Beach. As of the 2010 census, the population of Lighthouse Point was 10,344...
, USA. Email: [www.DrJohnGriffin@gmail.com]. He acquired his Gromace painting in 1966 while in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He obtained it from an American socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
who bought the painting directly from Oton Gliha while she was visiting 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...
. Gliha accepted $1,500 cash from her for the painting. He told her that the painting was worth much more but he needed U.S. dollar
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
s to buy an automobile.