Selected Topics from the Czech Art History

Erasmus course, summer semester of 2018/2019

chief coordinator – PhDr. Lenka Šimková

Ing. Mgr. Markéta Čejková

· Czech Cubism in Architecture (focused on Prague)

The lecture will discuss the very specific aspect of cubism developed almost exclusively by the Czech architects. It will cover the background, the development and the most interesting constructions completed within a very short time period between 1911 and 1927. The buildings and constructions discussed are mostly located in Prague but a few out of Prague ones will be mentioned as well. As a bonus cubistic design realised by the Czech cubistic architects will be covered by the lecture as well.

Recommended reading:

Zdenek Lukes, Ester Havlova: Czech Architectural Cubism, Prague 2006

· Czech Modernism in Architecture (focused on Prague)

The lecture will outline the Czech architectural modernism between the world wars with the special focus on Prague. The economic, political and cultural specifics will be briefly discussed first to explain the unique situation of Czechoslovakia as a newly established democracy. The lecture will then cover the individual as well as collective housing with excellent examples of Villa Müller designed by Adolf Loos, the housing estate Baba built in Prague 6 by almost exclusively Czech architects continuing with examples of other than housing architecture.

Recommended reading:

Premysl Veverka, Radomira Sedlakova, Petr Krajci, Zdenek Lukes, Dita Dvorakova, Pavel Vlcek: Great Villas of Prague, Prague 2008

Petr Urlich (ed), Lenka Popelová, Radomíra Sedláková, Pavel Skranc, Pavel Vlček, Petr Vorlík: Great Buildings of Prague 6, Prague 2009

Jana Hornekova, Karel Ksandr, Maria Szadkowska, Vladimir Slapeta: Villa Müller, Prague 2002

Karolína Drábková

· Glass as a Product of Representation. Czechoslovak Glass at the International Expositions in 1930's

· The Birth of Czech Cast Glass Sculpture: Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova

PhDr. Iva Knobloch

· Modernising Home and Lifestyle Through Cooperative Organization Krásná jizba (Beautiful Chamber) in Pre-war Czechoslovakia

Krásná jizba was the first modern design studio, founded in 1927, organised on the cooperative base. Under his art director Ladislav Sutnar, it promoted functionalism through objects of everyday use. Cooperative organization was based on sharing financial resources, ethical ideas, visions of democracy and on terrirorial network covering all regions of Czechoslovakia. Thanks to its unique type of cooperative work, funcionalism was broadly accepted as a lifestyle of middle classes.

Lit:

Lucie Vlčková (ed.), Krásná jizba, Praha 2018.

Iva Janáková (ed.), Ladislav Sutnar, Praha-New York, Design in Action, Prague 2003 (engl. version)

Christopher Wilk (ed.), Modernism 1914-1939, London 2008.

· Exhibiting Design in 20th Century. 12 Keys Exhibitions in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. Challenge and Risk: Curatorial Concept, Exhibition Design, Political Context

Exhibitions became an important communication media in XXth Century. Lecture focuses on 12 keys design exhibitions in Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague reflecting how the curatorial concept reacted on the political, social and cultural context of the period. Lecture will also stress the original exhibiton design created by important art deco, modern and postmodern artists and architects.

Lit.:

Germano Celant, Post Zang Tumb Tuum, Art, Life, Politics Italia 1918-1945, Milan, Fondazione Prada 2018.

Liz Farrelly – Joanna Weddell (eds.), Design Objects and the Museum, London–New York 2016

Paola Antonelli, Under the Influence – Design Exhibitions and the Future, in: Mateo Kries – Janna Lipsky (eds.), Konstantin Grcic. Panorama, Weil am Rhein 2014, s. 197–217.

Mgr. Milan Matějka

· The Golden Age: Art and Propaganda during the Reign of Charles IV.

Formation of an independent artistic center in Prague is the most precious topic of Bohemian and Czech art-history. Contrary to national marginalization and provincionalization in following centuries, period of 14th century frames The Golden Age of Bohemian political, economical and cultural history. Reign of Charles IV. (1346-1378) and Wenceslas IV. (1378-1419) is associated with unprecedent edrise of Kingdom of Bohemia and it´s capital Prague. Importance of period of the reign of two formentioned kings was perceived not only by domestic medieval public, but later-on became a sumect of Czech national sentiment (baroque historicism, National Revival in 19th century). In recent decades period of late 14th century is also fruitful subject-matter of pop-culture as can be thought by popularity of Noc na Karlštejně, 1973 musical or Kingdom Come: Deliverence 2018 PC game.

During his stays in France and Italy Charles IV. Was introduced to possibilities of exploitation of visual culture as a tool of political propaganda. New imperial style combines contemporary tendencies in French and Italian art. Alongside with realizations of undoubtful religion meaning (St. Vitus Cathedral) outstanding monuments defending reign of new Luxemburg dynasty in Bohemian enviroment (Staroměstská mostecká věž, partsof Prague Castle and Karlštejn). Significant artworks were made by exceptional artists partially coming to Bohemia from abroad. Master Theodorik, Petr Parléř or anonymous Master/Mastress of Třeboň Altarpiece were able to make, thanks to their superior skills, sophisticated artworks for ruling elite. Around 1400 we are able to witness the birth of art-market, as we know from following periods. Trademarks like ymago de praga, Youths of Prague could be tracked in archive sources, as well as popularity of Prague-made artworks in Strasbourg or England. In my lecture I would like to introduce the birth of Prague artistic center and visual/artistic propaganda of ruling dynasty, turning to artworks made for personal devotion of early 1400s.

Jiří FAJT: Magister Theodoricus, Praha 1997
Jan ROYT: Medieval Painting in Bohemia, Praha 2003
Jan ROYT / Jiří KUTHAN Charles IV :Emperor and King of Bohemia - Visionary and Founder, Praha 2016
Jiří FAJT / Barbara DRAKE-BOEHM (eds.): Prague: The Crown of Bohemia, New York 2005
Iva ROSARIO: Art and Propaganda, Charles IV of Bohemia (1346-1378), Woodbridge 2000

· ymago de praga / Prague Is Burning: Beautiful Style, Iconoclasm, Hussite Visuality and Civil War
Relevance of Prague artistic center was determined by intense touch with foreign environment. From the perspective of European art-history the term international gothic can be related, for its Prague variaty we can use term beautiful style (krásný sloh, Schöne Stil). Advanced visual culture and production of sophisticated religion images was attached to following polarity: cherishly nourished cult of Holy Virgin supported by circle of archbishop of Prague atoneside and questioning the legitimacy of presence of artworks in liturgice space by the reformists at the other. Formentioned polarity is dependant with beautiful Madonna and beautiful pieta phenomena, that could be understood as an „complex visual form“. However, beautiful artworks were subjekt of criticism from reform-oriented theologians (Matěj z Janova, Mikuláš z Drážďan, Jan Hus), later on being systematically destroyed in war and turmoil to come. Nevertheless military visuality and warrior visual selfidentification of the period is resource for Czech national symblism firstly adopted by national movement in 19th century, later on by Czechoslovakian Legions, First Czechoslovakian Republic, Communist State or recently during Refugee Crisis 2015. In my lecture I would like to introduce the birth of artworks of supreme quality and its origins, discussion of legitimacy of visual representations and iconoclasm following, leading to violent erasure of beautiful artworks during the Hussite Wars.

Michaela Ottová: The Beautiful Madonna and medieval emotions – Tension between form and content. In: Art and architecture around 1400. Global and regional perspectives, Maribor 2012

Milena Bartlová: Was Queen Sophia of Bavaria an Art Patron?. Milena Bartlová. In: Prag und die grossen Kulturzentren Europas in der Zeit der Luxemburger (1310-1437) Praha, 2008, 623-634.

Ruben Ernst Weltsch, Archbishop John of Jenstein (1348-1400). Papalism, Humanism and Reform in Pre-Hussite Prague, TheHague 1968

· Late Gothic: Age of Dissent: Utraquist, Catholics, Royal Legitimacy, Urban Art and Propaganda

The beginning of 15th century is distinctive by high quality and importance of Prague artistic centre on European scale. The importance of Prague as a political, economic and artistic metropolis was interrupted by Hussite Revolution and civil war (1419-1434). Nearly one hundred years of exceptional artistic production was cut off by events of war and unstability, that did not permit commissions of artworks. Simultaneously, the presence of artworks in liturgice space was questioned and later on artworks were subjects of systematical destruction.

After the Civil War, religious, dynastic turčil and formativ of new