Painter. He received recognition as a Czech painter in the 19th century, excelling in his historical compositions, scenes from everyday life in Bohemia, and portraits. Besides his oil-on-canvas pieces, he did many drawings in charcoal on paper. Although he was influenced by a number of artists in this period, he was highly influenced by the work of Peter Paul Rubens. When he was a child, he had a hip injury, thus was bedridden for most of his childhood. During this time, he became interested in drawing. For some reason, his mother received monetary support from Czech female author, Bozena Nemocva, which helped with his education. From 1847 to 1848, he studied under Christian Ruben at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague before going to Antwep to study techniques used in historical painting under Gustave Wapper and Louis Gallait. In 1852, he relocated to Paris, France and after designing his own home, lived there the rest of his life. Besides returning to Prague for visits, he was known to travel about Europe. After his 1858 trip to Turkey, his style was influenced. In 1862 he fought along side chieftains in the Herzegovina Uprising, and for his courage in battle, he was the recipient of a medal presented by Nicholas I of Montenegro. One of his most famous painting "The Wounded Montenegrin" was done during this time. He embraced the Montenegrin culture in several of his paintings. At the Salon de Paris he received second place in 1861 and was awarded a medal for his unique work in 1868. In the capital city of Podgorica in Montenegro there is a street named in his honor. Politically, he supported many small East European countries in their fight for independence. His paintings often documented soldiers donned in helmets with shields and wearing bright-colored embroidered clothing of their culture or a mother with her cherub-like child in her arms. With his place of death documented on his grave marker as Paris, at the request of his sister, his remains were returned to Prague for burial. His birthplace at Betlemske Square #10 has been honored with a commemorative statue of a girl crowned with laurel and has "Cermak" inscribed in gold. Most of his paintings are on exhibition at the National Gallery in Prague. At auction in the 21st century, his paintings are in demand and selling for thousands of dollars; the "Madonna of the Black Mountain" sold in 2011 for $104,202.