Lot description
Jan Kubicek (Czech 1927-2013) Abstract watercolor/ink wash on paper signed lower right 18.5 x 12" - Kubíček substantially influenced Czech post-war art several times. At the turn of the 1960s his paintings were a certain antipole to the "dark" tones of structural abstraction. Subsequently, from 1962 to 1966, he participated in the formation of the Czech form of the international lettrism movement. From 1967 Kubíček was one of the key figures of neo-constructivist tendencies, and he continued to develop his original geometric programme until the end of his life. Kubíček's photographic work, though seldom mentioned, is also significant. The characteristic features of the artist's works of lettrism and geometric abstraction are: the sense of order, the striking visual message, the absence of literary contents and a precise painting technique. Kubíček was a step ahead even in the artistic circles of his day. Owing to prohibitive strictures of the totalitarian regime, his work only gradually became widely appreciated in recent decades. Writes Jiří Machalický, "Not everyone will understand Kubíček’s way of thinking in the same way. It is not a mathematical game, but an exact solution to problems, combined with intuition, without which art is impossible. And if we look at his work as a whole, it possesses an immeasurable logic found with few other artists, as well as the ability to open up other alternatives. It was a natural part not only of Czech, but also of progressive European art, which continued to develop the legacy of pure abstraction and constructivist tendencies."