Tree and Ball is a characteristic example of Kamil Lhoták’s later work, when he focused on deserted landscapes. It follows a significant transformation in his style of painting in the early 1960s, when he began to work with a strong contrast between two coloured surfaces divided by the horizon. A solitary red ball, a distinctive motif in Lhoták’s work, functions here as a metaphysical element that brings a trace of human presence to the desolate image. Its striking colour contrasts with the muted palette that surrounds it. A loose painterly style comes through, particularly in the expressive approach to the vegetation and the dynamic design of the landscape’s surfaces. The work thus materialises a synthesis of the author’s lifelong interest in the poetry of the landscape with his unique magical realism, which elevates everyday motifs to the level of poetic symbols. His unconventional view of reality thus merges in the painting with his ability to find poetry in seemingly common phenomena. The canvas appears in the inventory of the artist’s works under the title Tree and Ball and the number 1695/10. It was reproduced in L. Šteffek’s book Kamil Lhoták, Tisíc obrazů (Kamil Lhoták, A Thousand Paintings), Prague, 2024, p. 411, fig. 1695/10.  Assessed in consultation with PhDr. J. Machalický and Ing. L. Šteffek. The expert opinion of PhDR. R Michalová, PhD, is attached: “[...] The painting Tree and Ball can be classified as a valuable work within the more philosophical current of Lhoták’s artistic language. It expresses the author’s approach to simple, consummate beauty, which began to deepen with advancing age. Here, he transcends the individuality of Civilist and technical motifs to newly focus on addressing the issue of the landscape, which became both an artistic and philosophical element for him. [...].”