Jan Kubíček
Form-Action
Artist
Jan Kubíček
(1927, Kolín - 2013, Kolín), Czech
Original Title
Form-Action
Date1984-1985
Mediumphotogram on paper
Dimensions40 × 30 cm
Classificationsphotograph
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionJan Kubíček was a prominent figure of Czech post-war constructivist-concrete art. The processual aspects of his unique oeuvre evidence an affinity with the conceptual art of the time. Kubíček entered the art scene during the 1960s; after early experiments with popular informalist and letterist tendencies, he began focusing on constructivist art. From the late 1960s onward, he engaged in a process of systematically exploring formalist questions. Kubíček’s initial constructivist paintings were marked by a significant reduction of shapes and content, working with the simplest geometric forms. Soon thereafter, he became interested in visualizing the transformation of pictorial elements and began producing pictorial series instead of individual pieces, often depicting them on the same canvas and thus transgressing established painterly conventions. All of Kubíček’s canvases were preceded by detailed preparation in drawings, which themselves represent an integral, autonomous dimension of his oeuvre. Kubíček also developed his constructivist vocabulary through objects and photography. In the late 1960s, the fundamental motif of his work was the division of a square, which he divided along vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines; the reduced formal style of these works resembles American minimalist art. Later, Kubíček’s focus shifted to the possibilities of internally segmenting the square, with all the segments combined in the last stage of the recorded process. Some of his works from the 1970s and early 1980s are also based on the principle of dislocation. He termed this approach an “action” through which he disrupts the square’s structure, which can be separated and moved into space. These dislocations also incorporate an element of chance, and the rotation and movement of their elements creates a dynamic effect. In the early 1980s, Kubíček began working with the circle as a new essential shape, leading to a rejuvenation of his artistic expression. The use of circles and semi-circles also led to more complex compositions which are harder to decipher. These works are more substantially defined by the disruption of a logical order, which allowed Kubíček to produce richer, more varied results. The first variant was the portrayal of the reduction of a basic shape and its transformations in a single painting; the second variant was a division of the process into two paintings. In the late 1990s, Kubíček added a more prominent element of color into his works, building on elements of his early paintings. In the final years of his life, he solely focused on drawing, creating even more complex compositions with a strong link to his previous artistic periods.
These photograms from the series Form – Action (1984–1985) are based on Kubíček’s collages, which were placed on photographic paper and subsequently exposed. The result is a pictorial record of the action of small rectangles peeling off from the original square and staying suspended in space.
Jan Kubíček (1927, Kolín – 2013, Kolín) studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Jan Novák’s studio and later at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he studied scenography under František Tröstera. One of the first public displays of his contribution to the exhibition Art of the Young Artists of Czechoslovakia, held at the Prague Castle Riding School and the House of Arts in Brno, which brought together young artists who rejected the requirements of socialist realism. During this period, Kubíček was experimenting with principles of art informel and letterism, eventually developing his typical constructivist style in the late 1960s. At this time, his work was featured in important exhibitions including New Sensitivity in 1968, shown in Brno, Carlsbad, and Prague; another significant event was his 1969 solo exhibition at the Václav Špála Gallery in Prague, which demonstrated his ability to work with the entirety of a space. During the 1960s, Kubíček’s work was also displayed at several solo exhibitions—Galerie Teufel, Koblenz, 1968; Galerie du Disque Rouge, Brussels, 1968; Galerie Schütze, Bad Godesberg, 1969—as well as at group exhibitions presenting contemporary Czechoslovak tendencies in Germany: Zeitgenössische tschechoslowakische Graphik und Plastik, Kunsthaus Hamburg, 1965; Konstruktive Tendenzen aus der Tschechoslowakei, Studio Galerie der Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main, 1967; Konstruktive Tendenzen aus der Tschechoslowakei, Kunsthalle-Fembohaus, Nuremberg, 1967. However, his hopes of international success were soon hindered by the beginning of the normalization period, during which he worked on his art in isolation, without possibilities for dialogues and confrontations. Due to the incompatibility of his work with the official cultural scene, Kubíček was forced to make a living by illustrating children’s books and designing film posters and book covers—however, this work brought him significant popularity. The first retrospective of his work was held at the Wilhelma Hack Museum in Ludwigshafen in 1993; his most important exhibition in the Czech Republic was his 2014 retrospective at the Prague City Gallery. Kubíček’s art is included in the collections of institutions such as the National Gallery Prague, the Museum Kampa in Prague, the Städtische Kunstgalerie in Bochum, the Museum Folkwang in Essen, the Mittelrheinmuseum in Koblenz, the Wilhelm Hack Museum in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Muzeum Narodowe in Wroclaw, and the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź.
These photograms from the series Form – Action (1984–1985) are based on Kubíček’s collages, which were placed on photographic paper and subsequently exposed. The result is a pictorial record of the action of small rectangles peeling off from the original square and staying suspended in space.
Jan Kubíček (1927, Kolín – 2013, Kolín) studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Jan Novák’s studio and later at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he studied scenography under František Tröstera. One of the first public displays of his contribution to the exhibition Art of the Young Artists of Czechoslovakia, held at the Prague Castle Riding School and the House of Arts in Brno, which brought together young artists who rejected the requirements of socialist realism. During this period, Kubíček was experimenting with principles of art informel and letterism, eventually developing his typical constructivist style in the late 1960s. At this time, his work was featured in important exhibitions including New Sensitivity in 1968, shown in Brno, Carlsbad, and Prague; another significant event was his 1969 solo exhibition at the Václav Špála Gallery in Prague, which demonstrated his ability to work with the entirety of a space. During the 1960s, Kubíček’s work was also displayed at several solo exhibitions—Galerie Teufel, Koblenz, 1968; Galerie du Disque Rouge, Brussels, 1968; Galerie Schütze, Bad Godesberg, 1969—as well as at group exhibitions presenting contemporary Czechoslovak tendencies in Germany: Zeitgenössische tschechoslowakische Graphik und Plastik, Kunsthaus Hamburg, 1965; Konstruktive Tendenzen aus der Tschechoslowakei, Studio Galerie der Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main, 1967; Konstruktive Tendenzen aus der Tschechoslowakei, Kunsthalle-Fembohaus, Nuremberg, 1967. However, his hopes of international success were soon hindered by the beginning of the normalization period, during which he worked on his art in isolation, without possibilities for dialogues and confrontations. Due to the incompatibility of his work with the official cultural scene, Kubíček was forced to make a living by illustrating children’s books and designing film posters and book covers—however, this work brought him significant popularity. The first retrospective of his work was held at the Wilhelma Hack Museum in Ludwigshafen in 1993; his most important exhibition in the Czech Republic was his 2014 retrospective at the Prague City Gallery. Kubíček’s art is included in the collections of institutions such as the National Gallery Prague, the Museum Kampa in Prague, the Städtische Kunstgalerie in Bochum, the Museum Folkwang in Essen, the Mittelrheinmuseum in Koblenz, the Wilhelm Hack Museum in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Muzeum Narodowe in Wroclaw, and the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź.
