Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Czech National Revival in the 19th century wit-
nessed the revival of a Czech style of realism, in particular
by Mikuláš Aleš and father and son Antonín and Josef
Mánes. The National Revival sought, as well, to emphasise
the natural beauty of the Czech countryside, and landscape
painting from this time is soul-stirringly beautiful. You can
see some of it at the Convent of St George at Prague Castle.
Best Museums
for Paintings
Convent of St Agnes
(Staré Město)
Convent of St George
(Hradčany)
In the early 20th century, Prague became a centre of avant
garde art, concentrated in a group called Osma (The Eight).
Prague was also a focus for cubist painters, including Josef
Čapek (1887-1945) and the aptly named Bohumil Kubišta
(1884-1918). The functionalist movement flourished
between WWI and WWII in a group called Devětsíl, led by
the adaptable Karel Teige (1900-51). Surrealists followed,
including Zdeněk Rykr (1900-40) and Josef Šima (1891-1971). Many of the best
works from this period hang in the National Gallery's Modern and Contemporary Art
Exhibit at Veletržní Palác.
Veletržní Palác
(Holešovice)
Šternberg Palace
(Hradčany)
Visual arts were driven underground during the Nazi occupation, and in the early
years of the communist period painters were forced to work in the official Socialist
Realist style, usually depicting workers and peasants building the workers' state.
Underground painters included Mikuláš Medek (1926-74), whose abstract, surrealist
art was exhibited in out-of-the-way galleries, and Jiří Kolář (1914-2002), an outstand-
ing graphic artist and poet whose name when pronounced sounds something like 'col-
lage' - one of his favourite art forms.
TEN ICONIC CZECH TUNES
Czechs tend to be patriotic when it comes to their own music. Pop songs from
the 1960s and '70s are beloved because they're sappy and inflected with nostal-
gia for simpler times. Tunes from the 1990s and 2000s tend to sound more au-
thentic, with a harder edge. Together they form the perfect soundtrack when
streaming from your iPod or MP3 player as you stroll around town. Here is our
highly subjective list of favourites:
»
Želva
(Turtle; 1967) by Olympic - the Czech 'Beatles' in their day had the
moves, the tunes and the hair.
