DOI issue:
Nr. 2
DOI article:Bartošová, Zuzana: Svet dejín umenia ako výzva pre tvorbu osobností neoficiálnej slovenskej výrvarnej sény 70. a 80. rokov XX storičia
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.52804#0270
The World of Art History as a Challenge for Members
of Slovák Nonoffícial Fine Arts Scene in the 70-ies and 80-ies of the 20th Century
(Summary)
The existence of Slovák nonoffícial fine arts scene is
historically bordered by the invasion of Warsaw Pact
allies into Slovakia in August 1968 and the Velvet
Revolution (fall 1989). Its first phase, which we call
„alternative“, was formed of many significant artists
from the sixties, joined by those younger artists who
were not willing to make artistic careers under the
revival of socialist realism, imposed institutionally by
the ideologists as the only tolerated artistic style. One
of the characteristic features of this alternative scene
was the reflection of the history of arts in their artis-
tic création.
Slovák artists expressed their relation to the his-
tory of arts first on a déclarative level: at the end of
the fïfties young authors started a Group of Mikuláš
Galanda. In their effort to escape the limits of en-
forced socialistic realism, they shielded themselves
with the name of a major figure of Slovák avant-garde
of the period between the World Wars, who togeth-
er with Eudovit Fulla formulated the requirement of
distinction between the optical and the picture reali-
ty, fulfilling it radically.
Soon a spécifie artistic act put attention at the his-
tory of the fine arts. The beginning of New Realism
— a European modification of pop-art — put a new
light to the authors recognized by Pierre Restany and
his Parisian colleagues in the sixties. Among them,
Miloš Urbásek was examining the possibilities of
structural techniques. He worked with décollage com-
bined with inserting the fragments of posters and re-
productions. His picture Homage to Kupecký (1965) is
the fîrst appropriation of the artistic past in the con-
text of Slovák fine arts, actually of a baroque self-
portrait by a Slovák painter of European significance.
Alex Mlynárčik, the most outstanding figure of
this circle, dosely connected with Parisian New Re-
alists, showed his relation to the history of arts through
„homage“. First he realized his installations (Flirt of
Mademoiselle Pogányi, Apollinaire Gallery, Milan, 1969
and Hâve a Nice Day Mr. Courbet, 1969, Chatillon,
Paris) and later public events and festivities of a very
unconventional character, even in the context of ac-
tion art.
In 1969 Mlynárčik and Urbásek composed Man-
ifestů about interprétation in fine arts (instead of „ap-
propriation“ they use the term „interprétation“ in the
Manifesto). Mlynàrcik’s Ist Festival of Snow (1970),
a collective action of Slovák authors, interprets (appro-
priâtes) works of significant contemporary international
authors. Edgar Degas Memorial (1971) focuses on the
history of fine arts. It is an „interprétation“ of the im-
pressionist’s theme and at the same time an „appropri-
ation“ of real horse race. In the collective festivity Eva’s
Wedding (1972) Mlynárčik merged life and art. A real
wedding of a real couple was stage-managed accord-
ing to the homonymous picture of Eudovit Fulla, in
the year of his 70th birthday in the author’s home-
town of Ružomberok. The wedding changed into
a populär festivity of the real wedding guests and the
prominent Slovák and foreign artists and critics (e.g.
Jindřich Chalupecký from Prague, or Pierre Restany
as the bride’s witness). Again, on the basis of the his-
tory of arts a new piece of art was created.
Eva’s Wedding was the last public festivity — hom-
age combined with the appropriation of a masterpiece
before the hard line„consolidation“ of Slovák culture
started. First four years after the invasion to Czecho-
slovakia in 1968, the Slovák culture automatically con-
tinued in the direction of the open and plurality-like
sixties. However, the convention of Slovák Artists
Union, prepared by the ideologists in the fall of 1972,
denounced those authors who kept up with the means
of expression of the Euro-American cultural scene. The
Union condemned many artists, among them also con-
ceptual and action art Group of Mikuláš Galanda.
The Slovák artists were able to survive the seven-
ties and the eighties mostly thanks to a spécifie law,
saying that every public Investment was obliged to put
aside 5% of the money for the public décoration pur-
poses. As the ideological restrictions were not applica-
264
of Slovák Nonoffícial Fine Arts Scene in the 70-ies and 80-ies of the 20th Century
(Summary)
The existence of Slovák nonoffícial fine arts scene is
historically bordered by the invasion of Warsaw Pact
allies into Slovakia in August 1968 and the Velvet
Revolution (fall 1989). Its first phase, which we call
„alternative“, was formed of many significant artists
from the sixties, joined by those younger artists who
were not willing to make artistic careers under the
revival of socialist realism, imposed institutionally by
the ideologists as the only tolerated artistic style. One
of the characteristic features of this alternative scene
was the reflection of the history of arts in their artis-
tic création.
Slovák artists expressed their relation to the his-
tory of arts first on a déclarative level: at the end of
the fïfties young authors started a Group of Mikuláš
Galanda. In their effort to escape the limits of en-
forced socialistic realism, they shielded themselves
with the name of a major figure of Slovák avant-garde
of the period between the World Wars, who togeth-
er with Eudovit Fulla formulated the requirement of
distinction between the optical and the picture reali-
ty, fulfilling it radically.
Soon a spécifie artistic act put attention at the his-
tory of the fine arts. The beginning of New Realism
— a European modification of pop-art — put a new
light to the authors recognized by Pierre Restany and
his Parisian colleagues in the sixties. Among them,
Miloš Urbásek was examining the possibilities of
structural techniques. He worked with décollage com-
bined with inserting the fragments of posters and re-
productions. His picture Homage to Kupecký (1965) is
the fîrst appropriation of the artistic past in the con-
text of Slovák fine arts, actually of a baroque self-
portrait by a Slovák painter of European significance.
Alex Mlynárčik, the most outstanding figure of
this circle, dosely connected with Parisian New Re-
alists, showed his relation to the history of arts through
„homage“. First he realized his installations (Flirt of
Mademoiselle Pogányi, Apollinaire Gallery, Milan, 1969
and Hâve a Nice Day Mr. Courbet, 1969, Chatillon,
Paris) and later public events and festivities of a very
unconventional character, even in the context of ac-
tion art.
In 1969 Mlynárčik and Urbásek composed Man-
ifestů about interprétation in fine arts (instead of „ap-
propriation“ they use the term „interprétation“ in the
Manifesto). Mlynàrcik’s Ist Festival of Snow (1970),
a collective action of Slovák authors, interprets (appro-
priâtes) works of significant contemporary international
authors. Edgar Degas Memorial (1971) focuses on the
history of fine arts. It is an „interprétation“ of the im-
pressionist’s theme and at the same time an „appropri-
ation“ of real horse race. In the collective festivity Eva’s
Wedding (1972) Mlynárčik merged life and art. A real
wedding of a real couple was stage-managed accord-
ing to the homonymous picture of Eudovit Fulla, in
the year of his 70th birthday in the author’s home-
town of Ružomberok. The wedding changed into
a populär festivity of the real wedding guests and the
prominent Slovák and foreign artists and critics (e.g.
Jindřich Chalupecký from Prague, or Pierre Restany
as the bride’s witness). Again, on the basis of the his-
tory of arts a new piece of art was created.
Eva’s Wedding was the last public festivity — hom-
age combined with the appropriation of a masterpiece
before the hard line„consolidation“ of Slovák culture
started. First four years after the invasion to Czecho-
slovakia in 1968, the Slovák culture automatically con-
tinued in the direction of the open and plurality-like
sixties. However, the convention of Slovák Artists
Union, prepared by the ideologists in the fall of 1972,
denounced those authors who kept up with the means
of expression of the Euro-American cultural scene. The
Union condemned many artists, among them also con-
ceptual and action art Group of Mikuláš Galanda.
The Slovák artists were able to survive the seven-
ties and the eighties mostly thanks to a spécifie law,
saying that every public Investment was obliged to put
aside 5% of the money for the public décoration pur-
poses. As the ideological restrictions were not applica-
264