The significant Slovak painter and Catholic priest, baptised as Jozef. He was born in Ľubotice, nowadays, a part of the city of Prešov. He came from a poor peasant family. When he joined the Franciscans in 1917, he received the name Teodor. In 1924, he took holy orders, and later on, he worked as a priest in Franciscan monasteries located in Hlohovec, Nitra, Bardejov and Trnava. Thanks to his talent, he got a permission to study painting in Prague. During the existence of Slovak State, he worked as a pedagogue at a secondary school in Malacky, where he was actively working on his creations. During the Night of the Barbarians, he was imprisoned in an internment camp. After his release, he lived and created in poor conditions in Trnava. The early period of Tekel's creation is romantic and lyrical; however, his top work is characteristic of expressionism. During this period, his works appeared at several foreign exhibitions. After the artist's settling in Trnava, his works gained markedly expressive look. Almost all his works are placed in The Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava, where he also died. His pictures are most frequently painted by aquarelle and pastel.

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