Jan Kotík
Untitled
Artist
Jan Kotík
(1916, Turnov - 2002, Berlin), Czech
Original Title
Untitled
Date1964
Mediumakryl, umělohmotná fólie, papír
Dimensions62 × 40 × 4,5 cm
Classificationsmixed media works
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionJan Kotlík was a unique figure of the Czech post-war art scene whose conceptual and experimental approach to art forms shared many similarities with tendencies popular in Western Europe at the time. The first public displays of his work were linked to the wartime exhibitions at the E. F. Burian theatre and to his membership in the Group 42 art group in which held the role of protector of the continuity of modern art. During this time, Kotlík was employing a post-cubist morphology reacting to Picasso; however, as was common at the time, these works were not defined by their form so much as their content. In the early 1950s, he collaborated with the surrealists affiliated with Karel Teige, but never became a staunch surrealist himself. During the 1950s, when he was unable to exhibit, Kotlík engaged with the banned vocabulary of abstraction through creating glassware, which represented a relatively free environment where he could express his opposition to the official doctrine of socialist realism. In the second half of the 1950s, Kotlík’s practice was marked by a gradual liberation of artistic devices—a strong influence in this process was his meeting with Asger Jorn in Italy in 1956. Kotlík’s Brussels style of the late 1950s is defined by black contours enclosing colorful, abstract shapes. Unlike Czech art informel, which focused on the expression of one’s inner world, Kotlík’s style is based on an interest in the autonomy of form and image, which naturally evolved into an interest in spatial painting. Due to its emphasis on spontaneity and the autonomy of abstract gestures, among Czech artists Kotlík’s style is most similar to Vladimír Boudník’s art. Kotlík’s work from the early 1960s, influenced by Chinese calligraphy, is expressive while also being created with a focus on internal order. These canvases are conceived as visual messages defined by a suppression of illusion and spatiality and a move away from the traditional idea of the painterly surface in favor of spatial painterly objects. After his emigration in 1969, Kotlík’s work shifted toward a more conceptual approach, an elimination of individual style, a prioritization of found materials, an attempt to broaden existing aesthetic categories, and a stronger emphasis on the role of the viewer. In the context of the West Berlin art scene, his work aligned with contemporary tendencies in conceptual and minimalist art and arte povera. In the 1980s, under the influence of neo-expressionism, Kotlík produced pseudofigurative canvases marked by a more spontaneous style of painting.
Untitled (1964) is a gestural abstract painting on plastic foil which reflects Kotlík’s contemporary search for alternative conceptions of painting. The piece is part of a series of several assemblages from 1964, where the transparent and variously folded surface of the foil is covered in textual fragments and lively colored lines.
Jan Kotík (1916, Turnov – 2002, Berlin) was the son of painter Pravoslav Kotlík, leading to an upbringing in a highly intellectual environment which later manifested in his philosophically and intellectually oriented approach to art. These characteristics are also readily traceable in his understanding of the artwork as an “open system” which absorbs influences from other scientific disciplines. His unwavering artistic convictions also led to repeated bans on exhibiting his work. From 1935 to 1941, Kotlík studied in Jaroslav Benda’s studio at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, primarily focusing on graphic design. His artistic tendencies were most significantly influenced by cubism and his two visits to Paris in 1936 and 1937. Later, from 1942 to 1948, he was a member of the art group Group 42. He was one of the artists featured at the exhibition Art tchécoslovaque 1938–1946 at the La Boetie Gallery in Paris. In 1946, he became the chairman of the artists’ forum Umělecká beseda. During the 1950s, he largely focused on the applied arts and on theoretical writing and publishing. Kotlík’s first solo exhibition in Prague took place in 1957. He used it to align himself with the persecuted ideas of modern art and to instigate a public debate about the role of art in society. He created monumental glass pieces to represent Czechoslovakia at Expo 58 in Brussels and Expo 67 in Montreal. In 1964, his work featured in the group exhibition D at the Nová Síň gallery, which can be understood as a final look back at the era of Czech art informel. In the same year, five of Kotlík’s pieces were shown at the Czechoslovak exhibition at the 32nd Venice Biennale. Jindřich Chalupecký also included his work in the 1966 exhibition Tschechoslowakische Kunst der Gegenwart in West Berlin. In 1969, Kotlík received a one year scholarship from the DAAD foundation in West Berlin and would not return to Czechoslovakia after its end. In Germany, he actively exhibited from the 1970s onward; one of his notable shows was a solo exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Bochum in 1979. From 1982 to 1983, he lived and worked in New York City. After the Velvet Revolution, Kotlík briefly returned to Prague, heading the painting studio at the Academy of Fine Arts between 1991 and 1992. The first extensive retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the National Gallery in Prague in 1992 in collaboration with the Kunstmuseum Bochum and the Staatliche Kunsthalle Berlin. Kotlík’s most recent retrospective took place at the National Gallery in Prague between 2013 and 2014. In Germany, he was awarded the 1997 Fred Thieler Preis für Malerei. Kotlík’s work is currently held in the collections of institutions such as the National Gallery Prague, the Berlinische Galerie in Berlin, the Kunstmuseum Bochum, the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig in Vienna, and the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.
Untitled (1964) is a gestural abstract painting on plastic foil which reflects Kotlík’s contemporary search for alternative conceptions of painting. The piece is part of a series of several assemblages from 1964, where the transparent and variously folded surface of the foil is covered in textual fragments and lively colored lines.
Jan Kotík (1916, Turnov – 2002, Berlin) was the son of painter Pravoslav Kotlík, leading to an upbringing in a highly intellectual environment which later manifested in his philosophically and intellectually oriented approach to art. These characteristics are also readily traceable in his understanding of the artwork as an “open system” which absorbs influences from other scientific disciplines. His unwavering artistic convictions also led to repeated bans on exhibiting his work. From 1935 to 1941, Kotlík studied in Jaroslav Benda’s studio at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, primarily focusing on graphic design. His artistic tendencies were most significantly influenced by cubism and his two visits to Paris in 1936 and 1937. Later, from 1942 to 1948, he was a member of the art group Group 42. He was one of the artists featured at the exhibition Art tchécoslovaque 1938–1946 at the La Boetie Gallery in Paris. In 1946, he became the chairman of the artists’ forum Umělecká beseda. During the 1950s, he largely focused on the applied arts and on theoretical writing and publishing. Kotlík’s first solo exhibition in Prague took place in 1957. He used it to align himself with the persecuted ideas of modern art and to instigate a public debate about the role of art in society. He created monumental glass pieces to represent Czechoslovakia at Expo 58 in Brussels and Expo 67 in Montreal. In 1964, his work featured in the group exhibition D at the Nová Síň gallery, which can be understood as a final look back at the era of Czech art informel. In the same year, five of Kotlík’s pieces were shown at the Czechoslovak exhibition at the 32nd Venice Biennale. Jindřich Chalupecký also included his work in the 1966 exhibition Tschechoslowakische Kunst der Gegenwart in West Berlin. In 1969, Kotlík received a one year scholarship from the DAAD foundation in West Berlin and would not return to Czechoslovakia after its end. In Germany, he actively exhibited from the 1970s onward; one of his notable shows was a solo exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Bochum in 1979. From 1982 to 1983, he lived and worked in New York City. After the Velvet Revolution, Kotlík briefly returned to Prague, heading the painting studio at the Academy of Fine Arts between 1991 and 1992. The first extensive retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the National Gallery in Prague in 1992 in collaboration with the Kunstmuseum Bochum and the Staatliche Kunsthalle Berlin. Kotlík’s most recent retrospective took place at the National Gallery in Prague between 2013 and 2014. In Germany, he was awarded the 1997 Fred Thieler Preis für Malerei. Kotlík’s work is currently held in the collections of institutions such as the National Gallery Prague, the Berlinische Galerie in Berlin, the Kunstmuseum Bochum, the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig in Vienna, and the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.
