Milan Dobeš
Optical-kinetic Relief
Artist
Milan Dobeš
(1929, Přerov), Slovak
Original Title
Optical-kinetic Relief
Date1967
Mediumobject (stainless steel, glass, wood)
Dimensions40,5 × 40,5 × 9 cm
Classificationssculpture
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionSlovak artist Milan Dobeš is considered as one of the most prominent figures of the progressive, experimental art wave of the 1960s in the former Czechoslovakia. He was one of the few artists to achieve international recognition in the movements of kinetic art, op art, and constructivism. His pieces work with light and movement, which he also explored in his written manifestos (On Light and Movement, 1961; Light as an Artistic Material, 1973; Dynamic Constructivism, 1983). In the first half of the 1960s, Dobeš searched for the fundamental principles of his future work and explored the material properties of glass. His first light-kinetic pieces powered by an engine, known as “Pulsing Rhythms”, utilized an external light source. Eventually, lighting became incorporated into the objects themselves, which were termed “Lighthouses”. Later, these light sources were replaced by the flickering reflections of glass and stainless steel. In the 1970s, he created kinetic collages and virtual-kinetic reliefs in which he explored the movement of structures. In the 1900s, Dobeš began to work with mirror foil, using it to create impressive optical effects. He was one of the first Czechoslovak artists to incorporate technological elements such as light bulbs, electric motors, and convex/concave mirrors into his work. New technologies and techniques facilitated new visual experiences without detracting from the sophisticated aesthetics of his works creations. Some of his pieces were also based on actual movement achieved by motors or wind, thus following the tendencies of the international kinetic art movement. However, most of his works are closer to op art rather than kinetic art, achieving movement statically, through optical illusions.
Optic-Kinetic Relief (1967) was created in the second half of the 1960s, when Dobeš was developing creative approaches which he had discovered in previous years. He was frequently working with the theme of a circle, which has been a lifelong motif of his art. The center of the glass surface of this relief is occupied by a black foil with numerous concentric circles. The convex stainless-steel surface behind it reflects light, the black circles above, and its immediate surroundings. The fusion of these elements results in a pulsation of shapes and light, creating impressive visual effects.
Milan Dobeš (*1929, Přerov) has lived and worked in Bratislava since 1951, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1951 to 1956, focusing on figural painting and landscapes. Even his early work from this period, portraying urban landscapes in a style marked by impressionist and abstractionist tendencies, evidences a keen interest in the study of light. He was strongly influenced by a three-month stay in France shortly after finishing his studies and by his visit to Expo 58 in Brussels, where he was inspired by new possibilities of connecting art and technology. Soon thereafter, he began exploring geometric abstraction and experimenting with the motif of the circle. An enthusiasm for technology and New Humanism had influenced a number Czechoslovak, constructivist-minded artists with whom Dobeš exhibited at the exhibition New Sensibilities in 1968 (Brno, Prague). In 1966, an exhibition of his objects was held on Prague’s Wenceslas Square, titled Visual and Kinetic Objects, which marked the beginning of his international acclaim in the field of kinetic art. In 1968, his kinetic mirror objects were displayed at Documenta 4 in Kassel; in the following year, he partook in exhibitions such as ARS 69 in Helsinki, Cinetisme, Spectacle, Environment in Gernoble, and New Tendencies in Zagreb. In 1970, he exhibited a technologically complex light-kinetic object at the World Expo in Osaka. He also drew on his interest in technology and scenography in the kinetic performance Polymúzický Prostor (Piešťany, 1970), In the early 1970s, despite the incipient communist normalization, he managed to travel to the USA, where he toured with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra for which he created a light-kinetic show to accompany their performances. Upon returning to Czechoslovakia, he was expelled from the Union of Czechoslovak Artists and temporarily banned from exhibiting. During the 1970s and 1980s, Dobeš also engaged with the applied arts, collaborating with architects to design decorative elements as well as creating projects for public spaces (e.g., a kinetic object in Montevideo, 1969; a light-kinetic object at the Czechoslovak embassy in Stockholm, 1972; an optical relief in the entrance hall of the Czechoslovak Scientific and Technological Society in Bratislava, 1979). He used these projects to develop creative approaches to the use of materials such as glass, plastic, metal, and concrete. His work received further international attention after 1989, and in 2013 it was included in the Dynamo exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris—a large-scale show dedicated to movement in 20th century art. His work is held in the collections of many institutions such as the Slovak National Gallery, the National Gallery Prague, the Museum Folkwang in Essen, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, as well as the Milan Dobeš Museum in Ostrava.
Optic-Kinetic Relief (1967) was created in the second half of the 1960s, when Dobeš was developing creative approaches which he had discovered in previous years. He was frequently working with the theme of a circle, which has been a lifelong motif of his art. The center of the glass surface of this relief is occupied by a black foil with numerous concentric circles. The convex stainless-steel surface behind it reflects light, the black circles above, and its immediate surroundings. The fusion of these elements results in a pulsation of shapes and light, creating impressive visual effects.
Milan Dobeš (*1929, Přerov) has lived and worked in Bratislava since 1951, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1951 to 1956, focusing on figural painting and landscapes. Even his early work from this period, portraying urban landscapes in a style marked by impressionist and abstractionist tendencies, evidences a keen interest in the study of light. He was strongly influenced by a three-month stay in France shortly after finishing his studies and by his visit to Expo 58 in Brussels, where he was inspired by new possibilities of connecting art and technology. Soon thereafter, he began exploring geometric abstraction and experimenting with the motif of the circle. An enthusiasm for technology and New Humanism had influenced a number Czechoslovak, constructivist-minded artists with whom Dobeš exhibited at the exhibition New Sensibilities in 1968 (Brno, Prague). In 1966, an exhibition of his objects was held on Prague’s Wenceslas Square, titled Visual and Kinetic Objects, which marked the beginning of his international acclaim in the field of kinetic art. In 1968, his kinetic mirror objects were displayed at Documenta 4 in Kassel; in the following year, he partook in exhibitions such as ARS 69 in Helsinki, Cinetisme, Spectacle, Environment in Gernoble, and New Tendencies in Zagreb. In 1970, he exhibited a technologically complex light-kinetic object at the World Expo in Osaka. He also drew on his interest in technology and scenography in the kinetic performance Polymúzický Prostor (Piešťany, 1970), In the early 1970s, despite the incipient communist normalization, he managed to travel to the USA, where he toured with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra for which he created a light-kinetic show to accompany their performances. Upon returning to Czechoslovakia, he was expelled from the Union of Czechoslovak Artists and temporarily banned from exhibiting. During the 1970s and 1980s, Dobeš also engaged with the applied arts, collaborating with architects to design decorative elements as well as creating projects for public spaces (e.g., a kinetic object in Montevideo, 1969; a light-kinetic object at the Czechoslovak embassy in Stockholm, 1972; an optical relief in the entrance hall of the Czechoslovak Scientific and Technological Society in Bratislava, 1979). He used these projects to develop creative approaches to the use of materials such as glass, plastic, metal, and concrete. His work received further international attention after 1989, and in 2013 it was included in the Dynamo exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris—a large-scale show dedicated to movement in 20th century art. His work is held in the collections of many institutions such as the Slovak National Gallery, the National Gallery Prague, the Museum Folkwang in Essen, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, as well as the Milan Dobeš Museum in Ostrava.
