Vladimír Novák (painter)
Encyclopedia
Vladimír Novák is a Czech
painter.
, Czech Republic
. He studied at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts under Professor Arnost Paderlik. He is a member of the art group
12/15: Better Late Than Never
. Currently he lives in Prague and Milan. His wife is an Italian
writer Serena Vitale.
s in the liberal atmosphere of the end of the 1960s. This generation fully emerged on the art scene in about the mid-1970s, however, at a time characterized by a very different climate: the hard-line
regime which resulted from 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
instituted a system of repression officially termed „normalization“, in which the Czech society lived in an isolation from the world, deprived of proper contacts with foreign art. The Seventies
generation resolved its difficult position by consciously following on from the domestic tradition of independent art work, namely representatives of the Czech branch of existential figuration that worked with the symbol of the human body as a kind of moral mirror of society, and also artists of the circle of New Figuration who established the ironic programme of the „Czech grotesque“.
At the end of the Seventies and beginning of the Eighties, however, Novak’s generation gradually created its own collective aesthetic code, emphasizing the task of the metaphorical message, concealing in an encoded form an ethical assessment of the society of that time. Novak ranks among those who most faithfully fulfilled the programme of his generation; he is an artist whose vision of the picture is a monumental one, and whose entire work thus far has been concentrated on the theme of the unstable position of human identity in a modern society. This theme is developed through an original artistic language
whose basic unit is a free-moving animate fragment – for example the torso of a figure or another natural form – cast into an undefined space. The accumulation of these fragments often suggests feelings of uncertainty, anguish and being threatened, but also the methods of searching for apparently Clar truths. It is as if the frame work of the drawing and seemingly independent paint substance becomes an illustration of a skeptical way of thinking itself. Stubbornly continuing in his struggle with this theme brings results in the form of consummate achievement in the field of painting.
In about the mid-Eighties, Novak’s paintings became more radical: instead of a tranquil, relative reflection there appeared an aggressive, colourful expression of a concentrated emotional nature corresponding to the emergence at that time of a new wave in the Czech art. It began featuring an expressive throng of forms telling of the violence, fragility, depths and anguish in reaction to a perceived abyss, existing at the plane of ideas and feelings. Novak’s large canvases, presenting imagined landscapes and spaces, speak to the viewer with great personal openness in a symbolic form about the current precarious position of mankind at the end of the 20th century.
in 1999 and "Quasiretro" at the Manes Art Gallery
in Prague in 2005.
Prague City Gallery
The Czech Museum of Fine Arts
in Prague
Aleš South Bohemian Gallery in Hluboká nad Vltavou
Art Gallery in Carlsbad
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
painter.
Biography
Novák was born in LounyLouny
Louny is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated on the River Ohře.-History:The city was founded in the 12th century . The Church of St Peter stands on the site of the original fort...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. He studied at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts under Professor Arnost Paderlik. He is a member of the art group
Art group
An art group refers to an association of artists who may work communally, for the purpose of facilitating the creation of art, either that belonging to the individual, or the collective....
12/15: Better Late Than Never
Better Late Than Never
Better Late Than Never is the debut full-length album by the ska/reggae band The Slackers, originally released in 1996 on Moon Ska Records...
. Currently he lives in Prague and Milan. His wife is an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
writer Serena Vitale.
Work
Vladimir Novak belongs to the generation of artists who began studying at art schoolArt school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
s in the liberal atmosphere of the end of the 1960s. This generation fully emerged on the art scene in about the mid-1970s, however, at a time characterized by a very different climate: the hard-line
Hardline
In politics, hardline refers to the doctrine, policy, and posturing of a government or political body as being absolutist and sometimes authoritarian. The hardline position is usually extremist and uncompromising....
regime which resulted from 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
instituted a system of repression officially termed „normalization“, in which the Czech society lived in an isolation from the world, deprived of proper contacts with foreign art. The Seventies
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
generation resolved its difficult position by consciously following on from the domestic tradition of independent art work, namely representatives of the Czech branch of existential figuration that worked with the symbol of the human body as a kind of moral mirror of society, and also artists of the circle of New Figuration who established the ironic programme of the „Czech grotesque“.
At the end of the Seventies and beginning of the Eighties, however, Novak’s generation gradually created its own collective aesthetic code, emphasizing the task of the metaphorical message, concealing in an encoded form an ethical assessment of the society of that time. Novak ranks among those who most faithfully fulfilled the programme of his generation; he is an artist whose vision of the picture is a monumental one, and whose entire work thus far has been concentrated on the theme of the unstable position of human identity in a modern society. This theme is developed through an original artistic language
Artistic language
An artistic language is a constructed language designed for aesthetic pleasure. Unlike engineered languages or auxiliary languages, artistic languages usually have irregular grammar systems, much like natural languages. Many are designed within the context of fictional worlds, such as J. R. R....
whose basic unit is a free-moving animate fragment – for example the torso of a figure or another natural form – cast into an undefined space. The accumulation of these fragments often suggests feelings of uncertainty, anguish and being threatened, but also the methods of searching for apparently Clar truths. It is as if the frame work of the drawing and seemingly independent paint substance becomes an illustration of a skeptical way of thinking itself. Stubbornly continuing in his struggle with this theme brings results in the form of consummate achievement in the field of painting.
In about the mid-Eighties, Novak’s paintings became more radical: instead of a tranquil, relative reflection there appeared an aggressive, colourful expression of a concentrated emotional nature corresponding to the emergence at that time of a new wave in the Czech art. It began featuring an expressive throng of forms telling of the violence, fragility, depths and anguish in reaction to a perceived abyss, existing at the plane of ideas and feelings. Novak’s large canvases, presenting imagined landscapes and spaces, speak to the viewer with great personal openness in a symbolic form about the current precarious position of mankind at the end of the 20th century.
Exhibitions
Vladimir Novak took part in many solo and group exhibitions. The most famous were the exhibitions "Man in the Wind" at the Ball-Game Hall in the Royal Gardens of Prague CastlePrague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
in 1999 and "Quasiretro" at the Manes Art Gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
in Prague in 2005.
Represented in collections
Prague City Gallery
City Gallery
City Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Leicester, England.The gallery exhibits arts and crafts including international work but also local work reflecting the city's cultural diversity making the gallery an important venue for artists to showcase their work. The gallery has links with local...
The Czech Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts may refer to:* Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States** Museum of Fine Arts , which is near the museum* Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, United States...
in Prague
Aleš South Bohemian Gallery in Hluboká nad Vltavou
Hluboká nad Vltavou
Hluboká nad Vltavou ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, near České Budějovice. This town was a favourite of Charles IV, who often visited when residing in České Budějovice...
Art Gallery in Carlsbad