DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41588#0030
The advanced state os research must be acknowledged here: In Poland, Expressionism, Formism,
Constructivism, Surrealism, the position os Stanislaw Ignacy Wilkiewicz, and a general view os
painting or architecture have been the subject os numerous studies by our researchers in the last 20
years.' Earlier, in the sixties, the postulate os locating the Polish art in the context os the problems os
European changes aster Cubism was sormulated by Micczyslaw Por^bski in his book Granica
wspölezesnoici (Limits os Contemporaneity).1 Synthetic and monographic exhibitions, e. g.,
presenting Witkicwicz, or Constructivism, or particular members os the avant-garde, and recently
also exhibitions os Jewish painters or those os painters srom Vilna, organized in Poland and in some
cases shown abroad too, have consirmed and shown the existing situation in art.3
In Czechoslovakia, aster the silence or mendacity os Stalin ist times, valuable research work was
begun in the years 1965-1969. Asterwards some republications os source texts os the avant-garde
— those by Karel Teige — were consiscated, and the critical works dealing with this subject resulted
cither srom laboriously desended honesty or srom a return to the Marxist interpretation, hostile to
avant-garde.4 The works were continued and published in the last decade. This was due to
comprehensive book studies or articles in the Umeni magazine which were published by several
outstanding researchers in the sields os architecture, painting, and avant-garde typography, and
especially by the late FrantiSek Smejkal, who in his studies surveyed the Czech avant-garde in its
relations to the phenomena os Futurism, Constructivism, Surrealism, French culture, etc.3 Smejkal
and his associates also organized exhibitions; one os them, an outstanding and pioneering exhibition
os a group os artists and architects srom the twenties known as Devetsil, was opened, aster his long
research, in Prague in 1986 and in Budapest and Lodz in 1989. Recently there have been also two
exhibitions os the art os the thirties, showing works os the surrealist Ra group and the abstract art
circle, as well as those presenting selected problems such as paintings dealing with the tragedy os the
Spanish civil war.* A summing up os the avant-garde problems was the conserence devoted do
Devetsil.7 The National Gallery in Prague has organized exhibitions presenting non-avant-garde
circles, e. g. M&neJ.*
The present speeding up os publications os critical work was crowned by the issue os two
monographs: one by Smejkal on the painer Joses Sima and the other by a nestor os critics and
acstheticists, Jindsich Chalupccky, on Marcel Duchamp.’ The international context os art is present
in SmejkaPs and Chalupecky’s philosophical interpretations; both monographs show the deepest
symbolism, mythologies, and cosmologies os the two so disserent artists, Sima and Duchamp.
Let us look now at a sew os the soundations on which the avant-gardes os the two countries are
based.
There is a general disserence in the range os the two most signisicant avant-garde trends,
Constructivism and Surrealism. In Bohemia, Surrealism has been connected .with an enormous
tension os ideological radicalism, with its subsequent stages os theory and practice, with the danger os
orthodoxy and polemics with the enemy (i. e. the bourgeios culture) as well as dangerous clashes with
the ally — the proletarian idea os culture. The clashes led even to dramatic breaches, repressions, and
calumnies on the part os the Communists. 'This situation, whose tragic aspect had been chronicled in
Karel Teige’s writings sor more than twenty years, was a challenge to the ideology os Surrealism.18
In Poland, Surrealism did not reach the level os a theoretical programme, not to mention an
ideological one; theresore those problems did not appear in our country.
Keeping to the rules os our conserence which limit our time horizon to the twenties, we should sirst
os all talk about the problems os realization os Constructivism in our countries, this being the earlier
sormation and also the one to end sirst. Both countries have a right to be proud os signisicant
achievements in the sield os Constructivism: the Czechs in architecture, typography, stage design, and
Constructivism, Surrealism, the position os Stanislaw Ignacy Wilkiewicz, and a general view os
painting or architecture have been the subject os numerous studies by our researchers in the last 20
years.' Earlier, in the sixties, the postulate os locating the Polish art in the context os the problems os
European changes aster Cubism was sormulated by Micczyslaw Por^bski in his book Granica
wspölezesnoici (Limits os Contemporaneity).1 Synthetic and monographic exhibitions, e. g.,
presenting Witkicwicz, or Constructivism, or particular members os the avant-garde, and recently
also exhibitions os Jewish painters or those os painters srom Vilna, organized in Poland and in some
cases shown abroad too, have consirmed and shown the existing situation in art.3
In Czechoslovakia, aster the silence or mendacity os Stalin ist times, valuable research work was
begun in the years 1965-1969. Asterwards some republications os source texts os the avant-garde
— those by Karel Teige — were consiscated, and the critical works dealing with this subject resulted
cither srom laboriously desended honesty or srom a return to the Marxist interpretation, hostile to
avant-garde.4 The works were continued and published in the last decade. This was due to
comprehensive book studies or articles in the Umeni magazine which were published by several
outstanding researchers in the sields os architecture, painting, and avant-garde typography, and
especially by the late FrantiSek Smejkal, who in his studies surveyed the Czech avant-garde in its
relations to the phenomena os Futurism, Constructivism, Surrealism, French culture, etc.3 Smejkal
and his associates also organized exhibitions; one os them, an outstanding and pioneering exhibition
os a group os artists and architects srom the twenties known as Devetsil, was opened, aster his long
research, in Prague in 1986 and in Budapest and Lodz in 1989. Recently there have been also two
exhibitions os the art os the thirties, showing works os the surrealist Ra group and the abstract art
circle, as well as those presenting selected problems such as paintings dealing with the tragedy os the
Spanish civil war.* A summing up os the avant-garde problems was the conserence devoted do
Devetsil.7 The National Gallery in Prague has organized exhibitions presenting non-avant-garde
circles, e. g. M&neJ.*
The present speeding up os publications os critical work was crowned by the issue os two
monographs: one by Smejkal on the painer Joses Sima and the other by a nestor os critics and
acstheticists, Jindsich Chalupccky, on Marcel Duchamp.’ The international context os art is present
in SmejkaPs and Chalupecky’s philosophical interpretations; both monographs show the deepest
symbolism, mythologies, and cosmologies os the two so disserent artists, Sima and Duchamp.
Let us look now at a sew os the soundations on which the avant-gardes os the two countries are
based.
There is a general disserence in the range os the two most signisicant avant-garde trends,
Constructivism and Surrealism. In Bohemia, Surrealism has been connected .with an enormous
tension os ideological radicalism, with its subsequent stages os theory and practice, with the danger os
orthodoxy and polemics with the enemy (i. e. the bourgeios culture) as well as dangerous clashes with
the ally — the proletarian idea os culture. The clashes led even to dramatic breaches, repressions, and
calumnies on the part os the Communists. 'This situation, whose tragic aspect had been chronicled in
Karel Teige’s writings sor more than twenty years, was a challenge to the ideology os Surrealism.18
In Poland, Surrealism did not reach the level os a theoretical programme, not to mention an
ideological one; theresore those problems did not appear in our country.
Keeping to the rules os our conserence which limit our time horizon to the twenties, we should sirst
os all talk about the problems os realization os Constructivism in our countries, this being the earlier
sormation and also the one to end sirst. Both countries have a right to be proud os signisicant
achievements in the sield os Constructivism: the Czechs in architecture, typography, stage design, and