Petr Minka was born on 19th July 1961 in Ústí nad Labem and has lived in Prague since 1980. He learned the trade of metal engraver because this technique attracted him since his childhood. He supplemented his artistic education between 1981 and 1986 at the Václav Hollar School of Arts in Prague, from which he graduated with distinction. During his studies there he focused his main interest on graphics and his first works were dedicated to book illustrations..

In 1992 two books were issued with his illustrations and covers (R. Kipling´s Mowglí and H.G.Wells´s The Time Machine) and in 1993 Wells´s novel The Island of Doctor Moreau. These illustrations were done by orders but the book character matched to Minka´s romantic art understanding and inspire his imagination. Minka constructed these illustrations in the classical sense, perceived the book wording and illustrated them by characteristic scenes and the brilliant pen-and-ink drawings.. The coloured cover provides the perfect complement to the story. Pen-and-ink drawings exclude any improvisation and by their graphical style conforms to the story.

Petr Minka´s romantic temper was influenced by the history and ventures of medieval discoveries.. He created the unique monument for his interests in drawings celebrating and documenting Drake´s cruise round the world in 1577-80. In his drawings he described with the exact precision the shipping route of this famous corsair and explorer on the world map. In a small drawings and little scenes and medallions he described main events of this route, portraits of Sir Drake and the Queen Elisabeth, scenes from the reception at the Sultan, touching at California coast, thunderstorm in Magalhaes strait and Drake´s ennoblement. Minka was inspired by old renascence where pictures alternate with texts explaining single scenes or persons. In these old graphics the picture had the same importance as a text explaining the scene. That´s why Minka devoted in pen-and-ink drawings his attention to it and when he did not find a suitable text for the graphics he created his own expression. He had to mine many details from the expert literature and these findings were used in supporting portrayals.

The collaboration with editors of illustrated books did not satisfy Minka´s interests. In 1994 he bought a special machine for gravure printing, furnished his graphic workshop and started his independent graphic works., which enables him to express fully his own internal spiritual world without being bound by the story of a book.

His permanent interest in history was diverted to Prague.. He focused on leading historical figures having relationships with the time of Rudolf II and created the collection of seven dry needles graphics in a typographically modified cover. The graphics capture portraits of: Rudolf II, Tycho de Brahe, Jan Kepler, G. Arcimboldo, Krystof Harant, Jan Jesensky and Rabbi J. Löwe. Each graphics expresses a visual synthesis of the characters, their most important values and their life atmosphere. Outside this collection Petr Minka originated several other graphics, e.g. portraits of Franz Kafka, Tribute to F. Krizik, Hippokrates, Jewish Prague.

Petr Minka achieved absolute perfection in his graphics. He utilizes advantages of the both technics- dry needle and etching. His perfect etched line, light and fine, creates shapes and is able to support properties of various subject matters. The line engraved by dry needle contains in itself a more energy which allows to create deep shadows and rich dark place. The graphics expression is traditionally accented by lettering. Petr Minka mastered also this part of graphics and completes his art works by engraved texts with a marvellous elegance.

Since 1998 Petr Minka applies yourself to a task of Ex Libris mainly with portraits of famous persons like e.g. J. Seifert, J. Zrzavy, B. Smetana, A. Dvorak, B. Hrabal, W. A. Mozart, R. Kipling, T. G. Masaryk, J. Manes and also with motifs of antic mythology like Posseidon or Afroditae. Among antiquarians ,experts and adorers of ex libris Petr Minka is honoured as a unique graphic-specialist creating small art jewels from these purpose-built creations which are able to enchant non-antiquarians as well.

His ex libris works decorate many private and public collections abroad and in our country. The artist also supports the Czech culture promotion for foreign visitors. He designs memorial folies ( sheets) not only of famous Czech personalities but also cities, e.g. Memorial graphic drawings for Prague, Telc, Luhacovice, Lomnice nad Popelkou, etc. Oil-painting and pastel ( crayon) art is a new focus of Petr Minka recently. His pastel portraits have a spirit and his spacious oil-paintings have a deep spiritual charge. His works are loaded with the perfect empathy, understanding and expression of a spirit of the time. Minka´s art works have a philosophy, a mystic interpretation and a sound which capture each perceptive and sensitive person. It is evidenced not only by the big demand of his graphics and paintings but also by a big list of very successful local and foreign exhibitions. Interests about the philosophy, spiritual matters and mystics add a new colouring to his art so that his art does not tie together the exquisite tradition of Czech graphic art but implements inti this tradition a new spirit and arguments

His graphic work illustrates and opens new ways to understand roots in Czech national culture, develops humanism and sentiment and contributes to the humanity evolution of world culture of existing mankind. Petr Minka´s art work not only considers perpetual human questions about sense of life but revokes positive emotion and answers these questions by a very individual fashion together. All these above mentioned features make his art works unique and highly assertive. It is a comfort of this era that the present Czech culture has such a famous artist.

Nina Rohacova Academic Painter