DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41588#0045
The reception os contemporary European sculpture by Slovak sculptors was not parallel in time
and it was selective. However, Rodin was a celebrity and a lighthouse well seen also in Slovakia. The
slare of his versatile and complex work closing the old century and opening the new lest no European
school os sculpture or personality untouched and insluenced them to a various extent. For example,
in Bohemia the name of Rodin sparked in 1900 and began to burn in 1902 during the exhibition in the
Kinski Gardens.
The time delay in perception os Rodin and Modernism is evident also here: the First link in the
chain is Jan Koniarek (1878-1952) one os the most talented sculptors. His heavy burden included
laurels as well as the loneliness and oblivion os being on the periphery. The First very successsul period
os his work was in Serbia. On turning home he met with misapprehension, the smallness and
underdevelopment os cultural lise, a sociological disability os active perception of art by his
contempraries and new pragmatic demands on the sculptural arts. In this way Koniarek’s work split
into traditionalist representation as a reslection os the requirements of a monument with his creed to
’’create the history os the Slovak genius in stone’’ and a Modernist one. The traditionalism os the
twenties comprised quotations os the 19th century srom which he started — the allegoric language of
tombstones belonging to the past world os monarchy did not Fit the ”republican-!ike purposesull and
unostentatious praise” os bourgeois-democratic ideals.3 Nevertheless, it was Koniarek who lest us the
war monument sor the town os Trnava (1928), a work with 19th century invention but the most
’’modem” in Slovakia as a metaphor os vision os unenslaved will and protesting humility.
In the twenties Koniarek drew inspiration srom Rodin’s work in several ways. In the genre os
cabinet statue he sollowed to a various extent the principles os building a form by treating the sculpture
sursace with pouring light that dynamically wrinkies the shape, srom sost, impressive sull — and
hals-tone sormulation to dramatic plastic values os the play os light and shade, a play with an
expressive essect: Kneeling Female Nude, 1922-1923, Kiss os Distress, later twenties (Fig. 31), Satyr,
later twenties (Fig. 32), Drinking Man, end os twenties, Avalanche, early thirties. The same principles
were used in his sketches sor monumental works, never executed though, the above-mentioned
qualities might have been the expression os an unsinished state, and sketchiness os a work later
interpreted as a cabinet — like sculpture: sor example, the sketch sor a monument, 1927 (sig. 33).
Another seature taken srom Rodin was Empirism. The merciless dictate and the reign of nature
— this temple os lise became Koniarek’s pattem and creed. "Rodin is my everything, my God” he
used to say.4 Os course, it is question-able when Rodin entered his work. He might have known him
srom the years os study in Munich or srom Serbia. The early works os Koniarek inclined to
Art-Nouveau and Symbolist stylisation and conception. In the twenties the phenomenon os light
turned into expressive means prevailing over content elemens — 'analogy and expression os the
’’emotional unrest os human nature”. By that time Koniarek’s work remained $n underestimated and
unaccepted initiative, on the sorgotten peripher/ of Europe.
The sculptor from Nitra, Julius B&rtsay (1888-1978), spent in the twenties some time in BourdelFs
Paris studio as a pupil together with other sculptors. His personal experience an contacts with
contemporary French sculpture were reflected in his works os the sollowing decade by their
dynamism and dramatic pathos os sorm (Seis—portrait,‘1926, Portrait os Beethoven, 1930,
Drowning Man, 1934) and Rodinesque SymbolisticrArt-Nouveau approach based upon a charac-
teristic counterpoint os rough and smooth sracture os marble (Icarus, 1934, Portrait os My Wise, The
Kiss, 1935, The Moonlight Sonata, 1936). He, too, remained the lonely runner os his period.
Let us return to the sculptors ’’predestined” to lay the social soundations os this art discipline in
Slovakia. They were satally marked by new pragmatic demands made upon sculpture. The sights os
the young Slovak artists were set towards Prague, then the political centre os the state, and a cultural
and it was selective. However, Rodin was a celebrity and a lighthouse well seen also in Slovakia. The
slare of his versatile and complex work closing the old century and opening the new lest no European
school os sculpture or personality untouched and insluenced them to a various extent. For example,
in Bohemia the name of Rodin sparked in 1900 and began to burn in 1902 during the exhibition in the
Kinski Gardens.
The time delay in perception os Rodin and Modernism is evident also here: the First link in the
chain is Jan Koniarek (1878-1952) one os the most talented sculptors. His heavy burden included
laurels as well as the loneliness and oblivion os being on the periphery. The First very successsul period
os his work was in Serbia. On turning home he met with misapprehension, the smallness and
underdevelopment os cultural lise, a sociological disability os active perception of art by his
contempraries and new pragmatic demands on the sculptural arts. In this way Koniarek’s work split
into traditionalist representation as a reslection os the requirements of a monument with his creed to
’’create the history os the Slovak genius in stone’’ and a Modernist one. The traditionalism os the
twenties comprised quotations os the 19th century srom which he started — the allegoric language of
tombstones belonging to the past world os monarchy did not Fit the ”republican-!ike purposesull and
unostentatious praise” os bourgeois-democratic ideals.3 Nevertheless, it was Koniarek who lest us the
war monument sor the town os Trnava (1928), a work with 19th century invention but the most
’’modem” in Slovakia as a metaphor os vision os unenslaved will and protesting humility.
In the twenties Koniarek drew inspiration srom Rodin’s work in several ways. In the genre os
cabinet statue he sollowed to a various extent the principles os building a form by treating the sculpture
sursace with pouring light that dynamically wrinkies the shape, srom sost, impressive sull — and
hals-tone sormulation to dramatic plastic values os the play os light and shade, a play with an
expressive essect: Kneeling Female Nude, 1922-1923, Kiss os Distress, later twenties (Fig. 31), Satyr,
later twenties (Fig. 32), Drinking Man, end os twenties, Avalanche, early thirties. The same principles
were used in his sketches sor monumental works, never executed though, the above-mentioned
qualities might have been the expression os an unsinished state, and sketchiness os a work later
interpreted as a cabinet — like sculpture: sor example, the sketch sor a monument, 1927 (sig. 33).
Another seature taken srom Rodin was Empirism. The merciless dictate and the reign of nature
— this temple os lise became Koniarek’s pattem and creed. "Rodin is my everything, my God” he
used to say.4 Os course, it is question-able when Rodin entered his work. He might have known him
srom the years os study in Munich or srom Serbia. The early works os Koniarek inclined to
Art-Nouveau and Symbolist stylisation and conception. In the twenties the phenomenon os light
turned into expressive means prevailing over content elemens — 'analogy and expression os the
’’emotional unrest os human nature”. By that time Koniarek’s work remained $n underestimated and
unaccepted initiative, on the sorgotten peripher/ of Europe.
The sculptor from Nitra, Julius B&rtsay (1888-1978), spent in the twenties some time in BourdelFs
Paris studio as a pupil together with other sculptors. His personal experience an contacts with
contemporary French sculpture were reflected in his works os the sollowing decade by their
dynamism and dramatic pathos os sorm (Seis—portrait,‘1926, Portrait os Beethoven, 1930,
Drowning Man, 1934) and Rodinesque SymbolisticrArt-Nouveau approach based upon a charac-
teristic counterpoint os rough and smooth sracture os marble (Icarus, 1934, Portrait os My Wise, The
Kiss, 1935, The Moonlight Sonata, 1936). He, too, remained the lonely runner os his period.
Let us return to the sculptors ’’predestined” to lay the social soundations os this art discipline in
Slovakia. They were satally marked by new pragmatic demands made upon sculpture. The sights os
the young Slovak artists were set towards Prague, then the political centre os the state, and a cultural