Holešovice and the western suburbs - The Rough Guide to Prague - page 205

with several works by Auguste Rodin , particularly appropriate given the ecstatic reception
that greeted the Prague exhibition of his work in 1902. Rodin's sculptures are surrounded by
worksfromtheadvanceguardofImpressionism: Courbet,Delacroix, Corot,Sisleyandearly
Monet and Pissarro. There's the characteristically sunny Provençal Green Wheat by Vincent
vanGogh ,and Moulin Rouge byToulouseLautrecwithOscarWildelookingon.Nearby,the
loose brushwork and cool turquoise and emerald hues of Auguste Renoir 's Lovers are typ-
ical of the period of so-called High Impressionism. Bonjour Monsieur Gauguin is a tongue-
in-cheek tribute to Courbet's painting of a similar name, with Paul Gauguin donning a suit-
ably Bohemian beret and overcoat. Also on display is the only known self-portrait by Henri
Rousseau , at once both confident and comical, the artist depicting himself, palette in hand,
against a boat decked with bunting and the recently erected Eiffel Tower.
There's also a surprisingly good collection of works by Pablo Picasso , including several
paintings and sculptures from his transitional period (1907-08), and lots of examples from
the height of his Cubist period in the 1910s; his Landscape with Bridge from 1909 uses pre-
cisely the kind of prisms and geometric blocks of shading that influenced the Czech Cubist
architects. In addition, there are a couple of late paintings by Paul Cézanne , a classic poin-
tilliste canvas by Georges Seurat and Cubist works by Braque. Joaquine , painted by Henri
Matisse in 1910-11, is a first-rate portrait, in which both Fauvist and Oriental influences are
evident.Lookouttoofor MarcChagall 's The Circus ,atypicallymadworkfrom1927,anda
rare painting by LeCorbusier himself, which clearly shows the influence of Fernand Léger,
one of whose works hangs close by.
Third and fourth floors: Czech art 1890-1930
Visitors to the Czech art 1890-1930 collection are confronted by Otakar Švec 's life-sized
Motorcyclist ,a3Ddepictionoftheoptimisticspeedofthemodernage.Outonthethird-floor
balcony, there's a feast of architectural drawings, scenography and industrial design from
typewriters and vacuum cleaners to wooden aeroplane propellers. Highlights include Josef
Čapek's costume and set designs for Janáček's operas, and a model of the Müllerova vila .
On the fourth floor are several wood sculptures by František Bílek , one of the country's
finest sculptors - for a more comprehensive insight into his anguished art, you should visit
the Bílkovavila . JanPreisler 'smosaicsandmurals,whichfeatureonArtNouveaubuildings
all over Prague, tend to be ethereal and slightly detached, whereas his oil paintings, like the
Black Lake cycle displayed here, are more typically melancholic. The most successful Czech
exponent of moody post-Impressionism was Antonín Slavíček , whose depictions of Prague
remain perennially popular, as do his landscapes, ranging from the Klimt-like Birch Mood
to paintings such as In the Rain , which are full of foreboding. There are a couple of oils by
Alfons Mucha , both classic long, narrow poster designs; one is an unfinished version of the
Gismonda poster for Sarah Bernhardt, which propelled the artist to fame in Paris in 1894.