• Home
  • City
    • ALBANIA
    • AMSTERDAM
    • ANDORRA
    • ANNECY
    • ANTWERP
    • ATHENS
    • AUSTRIA
    • AVIGNON
    • BARCELONA
    • BELARUS
    • BELGIUM
    • BERLIN
    • BILBAO
    • BORDEAUX
    • BRNO
    • BRUSSELS
    • BUDAPEST
    • BULGARIA
    • CAEN
    • CALAIS
    • CROATIA
    • CZECH_REPUBLIC
    • DEBRECEN
    • DENMARK
    • DIJON
    • DUBLIN
    • ESTONIA
    • FINLAND
    • FLORENCE
    • FRANKFURT
    • GENEVA
    • GENOA
    • GERMANY
    • GLASGOW
    • GREECE
    • HANNOVER
    • HELSINKI
    • HUNGARY
    • ICELAND
    • INNSBRUCK
    • IRELAND
    • ISTANBUL
    • KRAKOW
    • LIECHTENSTEIN
    • LILLE
    • LIMERICK
    • LISBOA
    • LITHUANIA
    • LONDON
    • LUXEMBOURG
    • LYON
europe-cities.com
  • Home
  • City
    • ALBANIA
    • AMSTERDAM
    • ANDORRA
    • ANNECY
    • ANTWERP
    • ATHENS
    • AUSTRIA
    • AVIGNON
    • BARCELONA
    • BELARUS
    • BELGIUM
    • BERLIN
    • BILBAO
    • BORDEAUX
    • BRNO
    • BRUSSELS
    • BUDAPEST
    • BULGARIA
    • CAEN
    • CALAIS
    • CROATIA
    • CZECH_REPUBLIC
    • DEBRECEN
    • DENMARK
    • DIJON
    • DUBLIN
    • ESTONIA
    • FINLAND
    • FLORENCE
    • FRANKFURT
    • GENEVA
    • GENOA
    • GERMANY
    • GLASGOW
    • GREECE
    • HANNOVER
    • HELSINKI
    • HUNGARY
    • ICELAND
    • INNSBRUCK
    • IRELAND
    • ISTANBUL
    • KRAKOW
    • LIECHTENSTEIN
    • LILLE
    • LIMERICK
    • LISBOA
    • LITHUANIA
    • LONDON
    • LUXEMBOURG
    • LYON

PRAGUE

Prague in the footsteps of Cubism or Where to have a square wreath

Sugar Mizzy December 5, 2021

We can’t start other than in front of the U Černé Matky Boží house on the corner of Celetná Street and Ovocný trh. “It is the first Cubist building that was erected in Prague, it was completed in 1912,” tells Marie Jelínková Ťupová from the Museum of Applied Arts, our guide today. We usually know Cubism mainly in the visual arts, for example in the painter Pablo Picasso.

“Such cubists disturbed the perspective in their paintings. They composed the work from different angles, “we learn. An example is Picasso’s Head of a Woman, which he seemed to disassemble and then put together. “In the Czech lands, however, Cubism has also been used in architecture and applied arts,” our entourage continues. It was in our country that Cubist architecture was created, to be the creators themselves, they were not originally called this attribute.

They were inspired by the crystal

“In 1911, these artists separated from the Mánes association. Among them were painters such as Emil Filla or Josef Čapek, the writer Karel Čapek or František Langer, as well as the architects Josef Gočár, Pavel Janák and Vlastislav Hofman, “we find out.

“They were inspired by the French Cubists, but we ourselves wanted to bring a new art to our style, because they wanted to bring a new spirit. As is usually the case, someone else, in this case the art of Vincenc Kramář, called them Cubists, ”the guide smiles.

In the fine arts, the Czech Cubists were brave, disassembling and painting the painting according to their designs. “It simply came to our notice then. You won’t see that the windows or doors are in a different place than where you expect them, “the guide reassures us. So what did they draw from? “Architects were amazed at how they build nature, how caves, volcanoes or snowdrifts are created. Pavel Janák described it as a force that acts on inanimate matter, calling crystallization the most beautiful example, “he says.

We take a close look at the house U Černé Matky Boží by Josef Gočár. “You can see for yourself whether the house succeeded like a crystal or not,” the guide adds, securing us a lattice for the portal, columns or sky, all chamfered like the crystals mentioned.

House Of The Black Mother Of God

Photo: Jan Handrejch, Právo

Inside is a permanent exhibition of Czech Cubism, for example, we looked at the edition of Grandmother Božena Němcová from 1923, which was illustrated in the Cubist style – presented by Václav Špála is the title grandmother composed of prisms. “Cubism has also established itself in our applied arts,” our entourage continues. There is a famous box of Pavel Janák in the crystal and a cubist chair to be seen, including one copy that you can sit on – you will experience cubism literally on your own.

“The local Orient Café was restored in 2002 according to Gočár’s original designs. I highly recommend her visit, inside you can have a cubist wreath that is not round, but has edges, “the guide attracts us.

The lamp is the target of pranks

From Ovocný trh we head to Na Příkopě Street and then we come to the lower part of Wenceslas Square. Here we see the Crown Palace of the architect Antonín Pfeifer, completed in 1912.

“It was built in the late Art Nouveau style, but inside there was a Cubist-style cinema from Ladislav Machona,” we listen to the Crown. Unfortunately, the cinema was closed down in the 1950s. On the contrary, what we still find on the nearby Jungmann Square is unique in the world – the only Cubist lamp in the world by architect Emil Králíček.

Cubist lamp by architect Emil Králíček

Photo: Jan Handrejch, Právo

In 1912, he designed the facade of Adam’s Pharmacy, the building that faces Wenceslas Square, and then the space behind this building, which is located here, on Jungmann Square. This lamp is a part of it. “Notice how beautiful Cubist shapes are. The bench, the column and the lamp itself, everything is beveled, “the guide shows us. However, the public was not always enthusiastic about the original Cubist works.

“Nearby, as today, was the U Pinkasů pub. Evil tongues claimed that the lamp was in fact an advertising column, and in cubist shapes they saw kegs of beer, “we learn with a funny story.

Short episode

“The main episode of Cubism was not long, it lasted from 1911, when the artists separated from the Mánes group, until the beginning of the First World War in 1914,” the guide continues. The architects then went in different directions, one of them was the so-called rondocubism, which, on the contrary, resembles crystals used round shapes, so it was also called the arched style.

“He was also nicknamed the national style because the buildings expressed the newly formed Czechoslovak Republic – they often use red and white and referred to folklore,” says the guide. We have a representative of this style on Jungmann Square in front of us, the Adria Palace was built by architects Josef Zasche and Pavel Janák. “Although the building was created for an Italian insurance company, the national style is still evident here,” we learn.

Adria Palace in Jungmannova street

Photo: Jan Handrejch, Právo

The famous architect Le Corbusier, one of the founders of functionalism, was critical of this building. He lectured in the nearby Mozart building and did not spare the arch-style palace – calling it a “massive Assyrian building”. “Czech architects eventually abandoned this style and often turned to functionalism, ie clean buildings without ornaments,” we find out.

However, we go back in time and continue to Lazarská Street, where we love the Diamond House from 1913 by the already mentioned Emil Králíček. As the name suggests, it is built in the Cubist style and its shapes refer to the gemstone.

The surroundings of the house are Baroque, but Králíček managed to cope with this – for example, he added a square chapel to the statue of Jan Nepomucký from 1717. The unique house remembers great personalities – it belonged to the writers Adolf Hoffmeister, and in 1927 the Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky also stayed here.

We continue by tram under Vyšehrad, where other cubist gems await us. “There used to be a fortification of Prague, which, however, lost its meaning at the beginning of the twentieth century. The city therefore bought it from the Austrian army and had it demolished, “the guide continues. Instead of fortifications, residential buildings were built here, some, such as the corner one in Neklanova Street, in the Cubist style.

The windows were difficult to wash

“This apartment building from 1914 was designed by architect Josef Chochol. Notice the openwork shapes – build such a construction was expensive, its shapes require a lot of handwork, ”describes our escort. It also draws our attention to sloping windows. “It was difficult to wash, but of course it was not the concern of the owners, they paid,” smiles our escort.

In the same street we also see Kovařovic’s villa from 1913, the pearl of Cubism, again by Josef Chochola. Just take a few steps and on Rašín embankment we have three Cubist houses in front of us, from the same year and from the same architect. We notice doors of cubist shapes. “They are also openwork, but we will see that the wood does not do well and crack,” shows the guide.

“When Cubist furniture was made, it often had to be reinforced with metal elements. It was therefore heavy and expensive to manufacture. Cubism was not entirely practical in this, “smiles the guide. Fortunately, we can enjoy Cubist pearls as spectators, leaving practical worries to their owners.

Koruna Palace on Wenceslas Square Photo: Jan Handrejch, Právo

Related Posts

PRAGUE /

Trial with a tyrant: Jakub tortured his girlfriend and her children – he bit his son, threw his head on the ground

PRAGUE /

Prague – negotiations on the municipal coalition reach the final stage: The program and composition of the council are being decided

PRAGUE /

The renovated historical tram K2 went on the tracks, it received a symbolic slo

‹ Gennadiy Golovkin has no plans to retire despite being suspended by Ryota Murata › Russia writes messages about the war with Ukraine on December 5, 2021 – Society – News of St. Petersburg.

Recent Posts

  • The festivals in Northern Norway and Sami art – ht.no
  • Heavy snowfall on the mountains overnight to Monday in Northern Norway – Address
  • When the pasta came to Norway: – We thought it was a vegetable – forskning.no
  • Subwoolfer takes off his masks for the first time | Universal Music Norway – NTB Communications
  • Northern Norway: Average price for electricity of 34.9 øre per kWh Sunday – Address

Categories

  • ALBANIA
  • AMSTERDAM
  • ANDORRA
  • ANNECY
  • ANTWERP
  • ATHENS
  • AUSTRIA
  • AVIGNON
  • BARCELONA
  • BELARUS
  • BELGIUM
  • BILBAO
  • BORDEAUX
  • BRNO
  • BRUSSELS
  • BUDAPEST
  • BULGARIA
  • CAEN
  • CALAIS
  • City
  • COLOGNE
  • COPENHAGEN
  • CORK
  • CROATIA
  • CZECH_REPUBLIC
  • DEBRECEN
  • DENMARK
  • DIJON
  • ESTONIA
  • FINLAND
  • FLORENCE
  • FRANKFURT
  • GENEVA
  • GENOA
  • GREECE
  • HELSINKI
  • HUNGARY
  • ICELAND
  • INNSBRUCK
  • ISTANBUL
  • KRAKOW
  • LIECHTENSTEIN
  • LISBOA
  • LITHUANIA
  • LUXEMBOURG
  • LYON
  • MALTA
  • MARSEILLE
  • MILAN
  • MOLDOVA
  • MONACO
  • MUNICH
  • NAPLES
  • NETHERLANDS
  • NICE
  • NORWAY
  • PARIS
  • PISA
  • POLAND
  • PORTUGAL
  • PRAGUE
  • ROME
  • ROUEN
  • RUSSIA
  • SALZBURG
  • SAN_MARINO
  • SIENA
  • SLOVAKIA
  • SLOVENIA
  • STRASBOURG
  • SWEDEN
  • SWITZERLAND
  • THESSALONIKI
  • TOULOUSE
  • TURKEY
  • UK_ENGLAND
  • UKRAINE
  • VENICE
  • VERONA
  • VIENNA
  • WARSAW
  • ZURICH

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • November 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • September 2008
  • June 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2007
  • January 2002
  • January 1970

↑