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Mikuláš Medek (1926–1974) Crossroads of Blind Birds

mixed media (oil,enamel) on canvas
1968
bottom right
116 × 75 cm
frame

Starting price1,500,000 CZK Hammer price4,600,000 CZK
Auction 84th, Lot 142 Probably one of the most remarkable works of Mikuláš Medek, the key figure of the Czech Art brut and one of the most prominent representatives of the Czech post-war scene, dates back to the artist's very strong period of the second half of the 1960's. In this period, perhaps more than in any other one, we can see in Medek's canvases the urgency of his own feelings, connected not only with the social and political events of the time, but also with his deteriorating mental and physical condition. This sophisticated and highly sensitive work bears the basic morphology of his mature work, here in the form of a trio of linearly placed red spheres that pierce the blue surface of the canvas, leaving nothing but futile blackness behind. This is followed by three arrows as basic indicators of direction, the main one pointing downwards, to a common peg from which the heads of two small birds grow – this was a popular motif which the author had been working on since 1967.The vertical axis continues with a fourth red sphere and is completed by a black square at the lower edge of the canvas which symbolizes a dark entrance. The whole ingeniously constructed composition has a strictly given meaning, based on the relationship between Christianity and existentialism, on meditations on the Holy Trinity and a hint of a dark, all-consuming tomb. It was with the help of a simple but deeply elaborated morphology that Medek was able to tell a story so sophisticated that it can be thought of as a reflection of his own inner world.The attractiveness of this already very compelling canvas will be boosted by its origin from the collection of the composer Jan Kapr, who obtained it directly from the author. The painting will be included in the artist's monograph prepared by PhDr. K. Srp. Assesed during consultations by prof. J. Zemina and PhDr. J. Machalický. From the attached expertise by PhDr. K. Srp: "[…] This painting by Mikuláš Medek is characterized by all the features that made him the most successful Czech painter of the late 1960s. […]".
Auction day 91
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Auction day 91
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