Bedřich Dlouhý
Demon
Artist
Bedřich Dlouhý
(1932, Plzeň), Czech
Original Title
Demon
Date2006
Mediumassemblage (wooden frame, perforated sheet metal, carton, cardboard, paper, black adhesive tape, plastic, oil, charcoal, ink)
Dimensions102 × 102 cm
Classificationssculpture
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionBedřích Dlouhý’s artistic practice is linked to the so-called aesthetics of weirdness, defined by its fantastic and mystifying elements, humorous paraphrases, and embrace of the bizarre. Dlouhý works with the magic of commonplace and discarded objects, evidencing his close links to the legacies of surrealism and Dadaism as well as his mastery of veristic painting. These varied artistic styles and elements are often merged in collages and assemblages. The interplay of rationality and irrationality, fiction and reality, stems from the program of the anarchist dadaist art group Šmidrové (1957-1964) in which Dlouhý developed his early work and which also influenced his later practice. The “Šmidrist” approach utilized absurdist, dadaist devices, pushing the boundaries of humor, hyperbole, and irony as well as conveying aversion to ordinariness and averageness. Dlouhý’s works during the late 1960s focused on found and handcrafted objects, with painting used to provide them with an illusionary backdrop. These pieces can be read as a personal reaction to the weight of existential sentiments and the absurdity of life under the communist regime; they also contain humorous critical reflections on Pop Art and ironic critiques of consumerism and cultural shallowness. In the 1970s, Dlouhý employed an ironic sarcasm in his reflections on the popularity of photorealism. His illusionary paintings of the late 1980s often comprised real walls and enlarged details of the human body as well as references to the works of the old masters. His later work is defined by a general focus on paraphrasing and humorous mystifications.
Demon (2006) is part of a series of assemblages in which Dlouhý built upon the older theme of the self-portrait and also on his skill in working with various materials, creating works which stir the viewer’s imagination and invite associative, metaphorical interpretations. A rusted, perforated tin plate is placed at the bottom of the canvas, resembling an earthy surface from which a red demon emerges in a gene-like manner, portrayed in meticulous detail, particularly evident in the masterful depiction of its ears.
Bedřich Dlouhý (*1932, Pilsen) lives and works in Prague, where his family moved after the annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938. He studied in Miloslav Holý’s studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague from 1952 to 1957 but was expelled for political reasons and sent to work as a laborer in Northern Bohemia. In 1959, he finished his studies of portraiture and figurative painting in the Karel Souček’s studio. Together with Jan Kolbasa, Karel Nepraš, and Jaroslav Vožniak, he cofounded the art group Šmidrové (1954-1968), which opposed communist ideology through various mimetic and pataphysical activities, known as malmuzherciády (plural), as well as the collective authorship of texts, theatre plays, and brass music. During his six-month studying in France, he exhibited at the International Biennale of Young Artists in Paris (1965). Under the normalization regime, Dlouhý was banned from exhibiting and forced to make a living through various daytime jobs. In 1987, he cofounded the art group Zaostalí, which functioned until 1992. Between 1990 and 1995, he taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In 2019, the Prague City Gallery hosted an extensive retrospective exhibition of his work. His artworks are included in the collections of the Nation Gallery Prague and numerous other Czech institutions as well as international institutions including the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Musée National d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, and the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich.
Demon (2006) is part of a series of assemblages in which Dlouhý built upon the older theme of the self-portrait and also on his skill in working with various materials, creating works which stir the viewer’s imagination and invite associative, metaphorical interpretations. A rusted, perforated tin plate is placed at the bottom of the canvas, resembling an earthy surface from which a red demon emerges in a gene-like manner, portrayed in meticulous detail, particularly evident in the masterful depiction of its ears.
Bedřich Dlouhý (*1932, Pilsen) lives and works in Prague, where his family moved after the annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938. He studied in Miloslav Holý’s studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague from 1952 to 1957 but was expelled for political reasons and sent to work as a laborer in Northern Bohemia. In 1959, he finished his studies of portraiture and figurative painting in the Karel Souček’s studio. Together with Jan Kolbasa, Karel Nepraš, and Jaroslav Vožniak, he cofounded the art group Šmidrové (1954-1968), which opposed communist ideology through various mimetic and pataphysical activities, known as malmuzherciády (plural), as well as the collective authorship of texts, theatre plays, and brass music. During his six-month studying in France, he exhibited at the International Biennale of Young Artists in Paris (1965). Under the normalization regime, Dlouhý was banned from exhibiting and forced to make a living through various daytime jobs. In 1987, he cofounded the art group Zaostalí, which functioned until 1992. Between 1990 and 1995, he taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In 2019, the Prague City Gallery hosted an extensive retrospective exhibition of his work. His artworks are included in the collections of the Nation Gallery Prague and numerous other Czech institutions as well as international institutions including the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Musée National d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, and the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich.
