At the age of fourteen, the younger brother of Joža Úprka decided to walk in the footsteps of his sibling and pursue the career of an artist. At first, he apprenticed as a woodcarver in Valašské Meziříčí to leave for Prague in 1885 where he worked in the studio of the sculptors Antonín Wagner and Bohuslav Schnirch. In 1896, he settled in Prague for good although his sculpture art production remained strongly associated with his native Slovácko, with folk types of people such as peasants, artisans, folk girls, and women at work or at prayer being his main motifs.