Folk Culture in the Czech Art - Elements of folklore in the graphic arts of the twentieth century.

The idea of an exhibition of Czech graphic arts in the twentieth century inspired by popular culture originated in the Czech museum of graphic art before the middle of the nineties. It included timely influences in the returns to the past which were coming to an end, in mythology and exotic themes, in inspiration by traditional popular culture. They brought about an awareness of the need to reconnect with the multilayered current, which had a considerable influence on the development of art in the previous century.

Our society returns to popular culture as a source of historic continuity in waves: At the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century, at the Czechoslovac folkloric exhibition and shortly after also in the twenties and fifties. Here it reaches into the sphere of architecture, creative and applied art, into the whole way of life, including dress. In later periods one can find a scale of shared traits, in individual means of expression.

The exposition in the Czech Museum of creative arts in Prague deals with folklorism as a phenomenon – using examples of creative and applied art and architecture of the centuries which have been mentioned, furthermore in the modern possibilities of interwar art and in echos of the forties and fifties as well as in the post war period. It also shows its contemporary character of recent decades. Here we encounter well known names of popular culture, e. g. Dusan Jurkovic, Joza Uprka, Bedrich Jaronek, but also with names of well known authors such as Vaclav Spala, Josef Capek, Emil Filla and many others and many others.

The exhibition is provided with an extensive bilinguaal catalog with informed explanations and illustrations. With it comes a collection of documentary films, produced by the museum and from the archive of the Comenius museum in Uhersky Brod.

The exhibition will be shown again at the Czech Museum of graphic arts in Prague until the 19th of September 2004, at the gallery of graphic arts in Cheb 7. 10. – 28. 11. 2004, the Gallery of graphic arts in Hodonin 8. 12. 2004 – 27. 2. 2005 and at the Comenius Museum in Uhersky Brod, 11. 3. – 6. 6. 2005.