Manesiana at Kinsky Palace
Exhibit of Czech family of painters
is worth a visit to Old Town Square
By Sylvie Petrakova
Staff Writer
AAU students have only a few weeks left to enjoy a special exhibit displaying the work of one of the Czech Republic's most celebrated artistic families.
Until Nov. 2, the National Gallery at the Kinsky Palace, 12 Staromestske square, is displaying 400 art pieces created by members of the Manes family, including Antonin, Josef, Quido, Vaclav and Amalie, all 19th century artists. "The Manes Family of Painters" is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The exhibition celebrates an extraordinary chapter in Czech classical art history. It presents the work of all family members and occupies two floors of the Kinsky Palace.
The most notable member of the family is Josef Manes. "He was genial illustrator, designer, draughtsman and influential painter," said Nadezda Blazicková-Horova, author of the exhibition. "He did monumental pieces as well as many small humorous drawings with ironic contents." Blazickova-Horova published a book on the Manes family last year, thus instigating this significant cultural event.
Josef Manes was master of all genres and artistic techniques. Apart from portraits and studies depicting moods of mountainous landscapes, his paintings include religious and historic motifs. He made use of various techniques from drawings and lithography to watercolors and oil painting. Many of his works underline his nationally orientated attitude. On several of his journeys to Poland, Slovakia, Silesia, and Moravia he undertook studies of country people and national costumes. His national figurative type and lyricism were taken up by the following generation of Bohemian painters and sculptors.
One of the remarkable items in the exhibit is a mysterious Czech Mona Lisa, the story of which remains a secret. It could be a memory of Josef's unhappy love affair, as Blazickova suspects. "Meeting of Petrarca with Laura in Avignon," a long-lost and suddenly found oil of Josef Manes, was acquired by curators as a gift just two weeks before the exhibit's opening.
The Manes family played a significant role in Czech art history. Antonin Manes, father of the family, was recognized for his efforts in landscape school in Prague that he elevated into the sphere of artistic endeavor. Not only did he have an impact on his pupils but also he inspired his children. His son Josef is celebrated as one of the most important Bohemian artists. Antonin's brother Vaclav is known as portrait painter, and he also headed the Prague Academy of Fine Arts for a short while. Painting represents the core of Quido's work. Amalie developed her talent quite unnoticed. As a female landscape and still-life painter she was not permitted to study at the Academy of Arts. Her smaller collection is impressive, but not all of it has been fully identified.
The male family members often worked together in the open air. Amalie used to join this outdoors artistic activity after her house duties were done. The interdependence marked their lives.
"The siblings passed with the upcoming of French impressionism," said Blazickova-Horova, commenting on the family's legacy. "At the same time the literary orientated romanticism resounded in German and Bohemian art once again. This movement was associated with the decoration of the National Theater in Prague. Some of its representatives were younger contemporaries of Josef Manes and claimed him as their predecessor."
--Sylvie Petrakova is a journalism certificate student at AAU and an art major at Charles University. She can be reached at syp.art@seznam.cz.
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Last issue date: Dec. 12, 2003
