Adriena Šimotová
At the Table
Artist
Adriena Šimotová
(1926, Praha - 2014, Praha), Czech
Original Title
At the Table
Date1970-1980
Mediumplastic wallpapers on hardboard
Dimensions170 × 158 cm
Classificationsmixed media works
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionAdriena Šimotová was a prominent Czech artist whose work is shaped by an interest in interpersonal relationships and the symbolism of the human body. Her initial abstract works from the early 1960s betray influences of the international wave of lyrical abstraction but are not as marked by existentialism and are instead defined by harmony and inspiration in the outside world. Šimotová’s style underwent a momentous shift in the early 1970s due to tragic life events, particularly the death of her husband and subsequently her son, which significantly shaped her new, existentially toned work. The figure, symbolizing human existence and transience, takes various forms in her works, a development which can also be linked to the contemporary current of new figuration. As part of this shift, Šimotová abandoned conventional painterly techniques in favor of working with paper and textile, which suited her approach due to their malleability, haptic dimension, and sensory fragility. Among the characteristic techniques of her work with paper are pressing, cutting, perforation, and body prints, which she would occasionally color in blue or red. Although her topics and formal devices would not substantially change over the remainder of her lifetime, Šimotová’s older works share an emphasis on materiality, corporeality, and narrativity, while her later work is more subtle and dematerialized, pursuing a deeper spiritual impact.
At the Table (1970–1980) is a relief made of plastic wallpapers which embodies a new approach to painting based on the use of accessible materials taken from Šimotová’s everyday life. Šimotová turned to this form of expression after abandoning traditional painterly techniques; the intimate, subjective style represented an novel contribution to new figuration and new sensitivity. The reduced shapes of the piece represent a human torso leaning on the surface of a table. The figure’s inward immersion evidences Šimotová’s urge to visualize her own existential experiences, in this case still not fully rid of concrete aspects of material figuration and corporeality. However, the turn to an alternative form of expression based on the use of materials from her own immediate surroundings demonstrates Šimotová’s drive to emphasize her own intimate world and inner solitude, and, in doing so, to simultaneously address universal, metaphysical themes.
Adriena Šimotová (1929, Prague – 2014, Prague) studied graphic techniques before attending the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, where she studied from 1945 to 1950. She entered the art scene during the difficult times of the second half of the 1950s. Her emotional approach to art was incompatible with the officially dictated art doctrine of the time, resulting in limited exhibition opportunities. Together with her husband, painter Jiří John, she was a founding member of the art group UB 12, established in 1960, which brought together prominent figures of different generations who shared an interest in French culture and an inclination toward lyrical and existentialist art. From the 1980s, her work was featured in numerous exhibitions at home and abroad. In 2001, a retrospective of her work was held simultaneously at the National Gallery in Prague and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon. Her work can be found in the collections of Czech institutions as well as international institutions such as the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Albertina in Vienna, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto.
At the Table (1970–1980) is a relief made of plastic wallpapers which embodies a new approach to painting based on the use of accessible materials taken from Šimotová’s everyday life. Šimotová turned to this form of expression after abandoning traditional painterly techniques; the intimate, subjective style represented an novel contribution to new figuration and new sensitivity. The reduced shapes of the piece represent a human torso leaning on the surface of a table. The figure’s inward immersion evidences Šimotová’s urge to visualize her own existential experiences, in this case still not fully rid of concrete aspects of material figuration and corporeality. However, the turn to an alternative form of expression based on the use of materials from her own immediate surroundings demonstrates Šimotová’s drive to emphasize her own intimate world and inner solitude, and, in doing so, to simultaneously address universal, metaphysical themes.
Adriena Šimotová (1929, Prague – 2014, Prague) studied graphic techniques before attending the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, where she studied from 1945 to 1950. She entered the art scene during the difficult times of the second half of the 1950s. Her emotional approach to art was incompatible with the officially dictated art doctrine of the time, resulting in limited exhibition opportunities. Together with her husband, painter Jiří John, she was a founding member of the art group UB 12, established in 1960, which brought together prominent figures of different generations who shared an interest in French culture and an inclination toward lyrical and existentialist art. From the 1980s, her work was featured in numerous exhibitions at home and abroad. In 2001, a retrospective of her work was held simultaneously at the National Gallery in Prague and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon. Her work can be found in the collections of Czech institutions as well as international institutions such as the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Albertina in Vienna, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto.
