Jakub Špaňhel is a painter from northern Moravia. He was born in Karviná in 1976 and first studied art at the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Ostrava before entering the Prague Academy of Fine Arts, where his teachers were Milan Knižák and Jiří David. Špaňhel has been a significant figure on the Czech art scene since his student days. He has exceptional talent and he has become a much sought-after artist both by curators and private collectors. Early in his career he painted a cycle of expressively-conceived interiors of cathedrals, and there followed cycles of petrol pumps and the buildings of national central banks. He has also painted portraits as well as important baroque monuments on many occasions, such as in Italy (the Spanish Steps, the Fontana di Trevi). Špaňhel portrays reality by means of distinctive expression and impressionist elements. Also of interest is his work with colour, whose combinations enhance still further the powerful effect of the impression.