Arts in Czech Republic

The territory of the Czech Republic traditionally has been between the German and Slav lands, and Czech cultural traditions are a mixture of both. Influences from farther afield also have been strong. Visually the most striking influences are Italian—in Renaissance and Baroque architecture, for instance—while literature, music, the visual arts, and popular culture also are indebted to a variety of external influences. Most of the Western cultural influences on the Czech Lands have passed through a German filter, and for this reason Czech traditions in popular culture are marked by a strong sense of national identity. The Czech Republic ranks among the most attractive tourist destinations in all of Europe thanks to numerous monuments which display a rich variety of artistic styles, combined with high preservation standards. After the fall of the Great Moravian Empire (905), which was artistically influenced by Byzantium, Czech art developed within the scope of West European artistic styles, though these styles were often adapted in unique ways. Czech Gothic painting in particular developed its own distincive style (anonymous Master of the Vyssi Brod Altar, Master Theodoricus etc.). 

 

Also outstanding is the work of architect Petr Parler, especially the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle and the decoration of the Old Town Bridge Tower of the famous Charles Bridge. The late Gothic Vladislav Hall at Prague Castle, a work by Benedikt Reid, is one of the most marvellous secular halls of late Gothic style in the world. During the Renaissance and the Manneristic Period numerous foreigners, mainly Italians, worked in Bohemia. The Emperor Rudolf II (who reigned between 1576 and 1611), an ardent collector and patron of the arts, brought many outstanding works by European artists to Bohemia which today form the basis of various contemporary collections. The appearance of the Czech landscape was considerably enriched by Baroque architecture (especially by the buildings of Christopher and Kilian Ignaz Diezenhoffer and Giovanni Santini). In addition, Czech Baroque painting (Petr Brandl, Jan Kupecky etc.) as well as sculpture (Ferdinand Maximilian Brokoff, Matthias Bernhard Braun) reached a high standard. At the beginning of 20th century Czech Art Nouveau was among the world's finest (mainly in architecture and applied arts); the painterAlfons Mucha in particular made the style famous abroad.

 

Cubistic architecture is completely unique in Prague and functionalist buildings are also of great artistic value. A number of remarkable Czech artists of the 20th century lived and worked at least partly abroad, for example the painters Frantisek Kupka, Emil Filla, Toyen and Josef Sima. Even contemporary Czech art, in spite of the difficulties in the communist era, retains a high standard (Jan Zrzavy, Mikulas Medek, Jiri Tichy, Jiri Kolar). The birth of photography as an original art form is connected with names such as Frantisek Drtikol, Jaromir Funke, Jaroslav Rossler and Josef Sudek.

 

Theatre

The beginnings of modern theatrical tradition are usually connected with the Prague National Theatre, which was completed in 1881 and funded entirely by small private donations. In the 1930s the “liberated theatre” movement—made popular by two comic actors, Jiří Voskovec and Jan Werich, and the musician Jaroslav Ježek—launched a new genre of political satire. Czech stage designers such as František Tröster, Frantisek Muzika, and Josef Svoboda achieved worldwide recognition. Havel’s best known and most translated plays are Zahradní slavnost (1963; The Garden Party) andVyrozumění (1965; The Memorandum). The theatre has played a crucial role in the history of the Czech nation. So much more fitting that today, Vaclav Havel, the country's most famous dissident playwright is also the president of the republic. Among his most famous absurdist plays, which have been translated and performed all over the world, are Temptation, Memorandum and The Garden Party.

 

Music

During the 18th century, Bohemia produced a number of musicians and composers who greatly influenced musical styles throughout Europe. Composer Johann Stamitz, the founder of the Mannheim school of symphonists, made key contributions to the development of Classical symphonic form and had a profound influence on Mozart. The Benda family of musicians and composers (see Georg Benda) was also highly influential, as was Josef Myslivecek, whose operas and symphonies were much admired in Italy, where he was known as “il divino Boemo” (“the divine Bohemian”), as well as in his homeland.

During the 19th century, operatic and symphonic music retained its high place in Czech cultural life. Bedřich Smetana was the first composer to inject a noticeable element of Czech nationalism into his work, most notably in his opera Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride) and his cycle of symphonic poems Má vlast (My Country). Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, and Bohuslav Martinů, each of whom drew heavily on folk music for inspiration, achieved international fame, and their works often are played at the annual spring music festival held in Prague. Under the batons of distinguished conductors such as Václav Talich, Karel Ančerl, and Václav Neumann, the Czech Philharmonic has developed into one of the world’s leading orchestras. Since World War II, Czech musicians have gained notice on the European jazz circuit, and jazz-rock keyboardist Jan Hamr (Jan Hammer) won international acclaim for his television and motion picture sound tracks. Traditional folk music continues to have wide appeal among Czechs. Despite political repression, jazz and rock n roll music started to develop at the end of the 1950s, mainly in clubs and alternative theatres. These were hot-beds of creativity from which many world-famous names arose, such as J. Stivin and R. Dasek. Many of them, such as J. Mraz, J. Hammer and A. Vitous established themselves as international stars living abroad.

 

Moravian Toys

Made and crafted in Moravia, Czech Republic, children and adults alike are drawn to these beautiful toys. Whether they are kept as an admired showpiece or played with on a daily basis they will stand up to the toughest wear and tear. Despite plastic and the advancement of technology, computer games and mechanical toys, children will always cherish a wooden toy. Costing significantly less, yet lasting significantly longer wooden toys will always appeal to parents.

 

Bohemian Glass

Bohemia was a part of the former Czechoslovakia, now part of the Czech Republic, and was famous for its beautiful and colourful glass. The history of Bohemian glass started with the abundant natural resources found in the countryside. Bohemian glass, or Bohemia crystal, is a decorative glass produced in regions of Bohemia and Silesia, now in the current state of the Czech Republic, since the 13th century. Bohemia turned out expert craftsmen who artfully worked with crystal. Bohemian crystal became famous for its excellent cut and engraving. They became skilled teachers of glass-making in neighbouring and distant countries. By the middle of the 19th century, a technical glass-making school system was created that encouraged traditional and innovative techniques as well as technical preparation. vases were produced either in a single colour of opaque glass or in two-colour cased glass. These were decorated in thickly enamelled flower subjects that were painted with great speed. Others were decorated with coloured lithographic prints copying famous paintings. Among the items for which the Czech nation is still well known is the production of "druk" beads. Druks are small (3mm-18mm) round glass beads with small threading holes produced in a wide variety of colours and finishes and used mainly as spacers among beaded jewellery makers.

Do not miss the religious primitives, icons and ancient art and 14th and 18th century Germanic art at the National Gallery. There are also temporary exhibitions and 20th century art collections at the superb Modern and Contemporary Art Museum, the small Mucha museum dedicated to the famous Art Nouveau poster decorator, and the Decorative Arts Museum to admire the Bohemian glass, the furniture and the Secession collection, recently exhibited. In Moravia, Roznov's open-air museum beats attendance records each year. This open-air museum is dedicated to rural architecture. You can see 18th century wooden barns, furnished houses, various trades and some craftsmen at work.