Captives (Captive Montenegrin Women)

Jaroslav Čermák is from the first generation of Czech artists of the 19th century who studied abroad. He lived in Paris from 1850 and his canvases featuring historical themes displayed at exhibitions (salons) aroused interest for both the public and art reviewers. He often travelled around Europe, among other places, including the Slavic south. His theme of Montenegro girls captured by bashi-bazouks, irregular soldiers of the Ottoman army, was inspired by the then battle between Montenegro and Ottoman Empire whose aftermath the painter experienced in person. Čermák’s painting style was influenced by the leading artists of French romanticism (Eugène Delacroix, Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps) but it also reveals echoes of the incoming realism.