Jan Kubíček
Template:New unreviewed article
Jan Kubíček | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 30, 1927 |
| Died | October 14, 2013 Kolín, Czech Republic |
| Nationality | Czechoslovakian, Czech |
| Education | School of Applied Arts in Prague, Academy of Performing Arts in Prague |
| Known for | Painting, sculpture, photography, graphic design |
| Movement | Constructivism, Lettrism, Concrete art |
| Awards | Vladimír Boudník Award |
| Website | art-jankubicek.cz |
Jan Kubíček (December 30, 1927 - October 14, 2013) was a Czech painter, sculptor, photographer and graphic designer, and one of the most radical exponents of constructivist-concrete art. Having gone through a lettrism phase during the early 1960s, he is also known for an impressive body of photographs, illustrations and graphic art, for which he received the 1999 Vladimír Boudník Award.[1]
Education
From 1949 to 1953, under the tutelage of Prof. Jan Novak, Jan Kubíček studied at the School of Applied Arts in Prague, where he graduated. From 1954 to 1957, under the tutelage of Prof. František Tröster, Kubíček studied scenography at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.
Jan Kubíček was a member of the Czech designers' group Hollar, contributed to exhibitions of Czech constructivism from the late 1960s, and concomitantly was involved with Klub Konkretistov.
Role in Czech post-war art
Ladislav Daněk of the Olomouc Museum of Art relates, "Jan Kubíček substantially influenced Czech post-war art several times. At the turn of the 1960s his paintings were a certain antipole to the "dark" tones of structural abstraction. Subsequently, from 1962 to 1966, he participated in the formation of the Czech form of the international lettrism movement. From 1967 Kubíček was one of the key figures of neo-constructivist tendencies, and he continued to develop his original geometric programme until the end of his life. Kubíček's photographic work, though seldom mentioned, is also significant. The characteristic features of the artist's works of lettrism and geometric abstraction are: the sense of order, the striking visual message, the absence of literary contents and a precise painting technique."[2][n 1]
Kubíček was a step ahead even in the artistic circles of his day. Owing to prohibitive strictures of the totalitarian regime, his work has only gradually become appreciated in recent decades.
From an early fascination with visual aspects of the contemporary city, Kubíček developed an autonomous use of geometry in his work.[1] Kubíček was one of the few Czech artists engaged in conceptual geometry. Since the 1960s his art is immersed in constructivist principles and tendencies. His masterpieces include, apart from paintings and graphic art, constructivist objects made of plastic and/or metal. Kubílček, alongside Zdeněk Sýkora, Karel Malich and Hugo Demartini,[3] ranks among the most significant exponents of Czech constructivism.[4][5]
"Owing to Prague Spring," writes Julie Koch, "Kubíček was able to deepen his contacts with Western artists. His work has proven to be remarkably parallel to trends on the international scene. Like other principle figures of constructivist/concrete art, Kubíček is popular in Switzerland, Holland and particularly Germany."[6][n 2]
Work materials
Early in his career Kubíček realised that the third dimension would render his work more complex and complete. Perspex seemed to him the ideal material for this purpose. Moreover, the layering of sheets in space allowed the viewer to see through objects, and multiple layers accentuated colors, proferring tones distinct from those available through the conventional mixing of acrylic paints.[6] "The essence of my geometric work is simplicity and comprehensiveness," said Kubíček. “When I transform my sketches into artefacts made of wood, plastic and other materials, some elements of the construction will always remain hidden from the viewer's eye. Perspex, on the other hand, makes the construction transparent and legible, revealing details otherwise obfuscated by opaque materials."
Kubíček also used PVC, a less elegant but cheaper and more accessible alternative to Perspex. Since PVC is non-transparent and matt, it is a useful alternative construction solution. Apart from a bevy of smaller metal artifacts, Kubíček designed a collection of rods and prisms, which were exhibited in the Gallery of Václav Špála in 1969 as a radically minimalist installation. Artistic objects form a unique part of Kubíček’s work—they are limited in number and distinct from his other artwork. Many objects originate from the mid to late 1960s and have never been exhibited nor publically examined.
Kubíček was aware of the possibilities offered by plastic design. Unfortunately, he had neither space nor money to make large plastic artifacts. Instead he designed them as experiments or samples. "Most of them ended up in German collections, some pieces are in the ownership of collectors and museums in our country, and three objects fell victim to one wild party in my old studio," the artist confessed in an interview.
Although different materials offered numerous possibilities for alternative expression, Kubíček ultimately returned to his primary medium, painting, which he continued to develop and improve. His objects thus constitute a closed collection. Kubíček said, "Most objects remain sketches on paper, but they deserve placement in architecture. One could then retrospectively show at least some of my works from years past. They would disclose their spatial form and convey ever vital geometric and constructivist thoughts and values."[7]
Retrospective
In April 2014, six months after his death, Prague Municipal Gallery held a major retrospective of Kubíček's work, consisting of about 150 pieces from Czech and European collections[8], curated by Hans-Peter Riese,[n 3] and signaling a new era for the acknowledgement and appreciation of Kubíček's oeuvre. "Kubíček's work is artistically and spiritually multifaceted, branching off into an incredible variety of directions," wrote Czech art critic Jan Šída. "He quotes a Jackson Pollock here, a Joan Miró there. Elsewhere he holds the hand of Arshile Gorky, as over his shoulder Paul Klee glares distractedly."[9]
The following year, a slightly consolidated version of Riese's Kubíček retrospective traveled to the Anger Museum in Erfurt, Germany.[3]
Notes
- ^ "We find all of these features in the painting Composition with an Arrow, Letters and a Number," Daněk continues regarding the acquisition, "which is one of his lettrist works that was significant in his development."
- ^ Jan Kubíček's international constructivist peers include the German artists Heijo Hangen, Hartmut Böhm and Klaus Staudt, and the Swiss artists Richard Paul Lohse and Hans Jörg Glattfelder.
- ^ Hans-Peter Riese is well-known in the Czech Republic. During the 1960s he was a German radio correspondent in Prague while concomitantly an art historian and collector, meeting with Kubíček and other Czech concrete artists and helping them to succeed in Germany.
References
- ^ a b Anon., "Jan Kubíček—Retrospective", Prague Steps, Apr. 24, 2014.
- ^ Daněk, L., Composition with an Arrow, Letters, and a Number, 1963, Olomouc Museum of Art, 1995.
- ^ a b Krupička, M., "Výstava Jana Kubíčka v Erfurtu", Radio Prague, Mar. 2, 2015.
- ^ Riese, H. P., & Kappel, P., "Jan Kubíček: Retrospective", Prague City Gallery, 2014.
- ^ Anon., "Die Sammlung Riese im Angermuseum", Deutschland Today, Mar. 1, 2012.
- ^ a b Koch, J., "Jan Kubíček a jeho výpovědi o zákonech a systémech", Aktuálně.cz, Apr. 24, 2014.
- ^ Zvelebilová, K., "Jan Kubíček—Objekty", Galerie Kuzebauch (Prague), Jan. 23, 2014.
- ^ Šída, J., "Retrospektiva malíře Jana Kubíčka v Městské knihovně", Novinky.cz, Apr. 21, 2014.
- ^ Šída, "K dílu Jana Kubíčka je třeba hledat vlastní cestu", Novinky.cz, May 1, 2014.
Further reading
Riese, H. P., Jan Kubíček (Prague: KANT, 2014).
External links
Official website
Bio at Sophistic Gallery
Images at Terry Posters
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
