Martin Velíšek
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Martin Velíšek (Duchov, Czech Republic, October 21, 1963) is a popular Czech artist whose work spans the media of glass and canvas, animated film, album covers, book covers, photography, sculpture, and interiors. In the attempt to characterise him by some academic classification, Velíšek’s work is commonly referred as grotesque, gothic, or absurdist, though he himself avows a self-conceived school of "Parealism", and indeed the peculiarity of his artistic style eludes unequivocal definition.
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[edit] Life and work
Martin Velíšek graduated from the School of Industrial Art in Kamenický Šenov in 1983 and then from the glass-working department of the College of Industrial Art, Prague in 1989. Though his exhibitions have drawn attention since 1987, he is best known for several wide-ranging projects, including years of participation in the avant-punk band Už Jsme Doma (where he holds the honorary title of “court painter“), award-winning book covers such as that of Božena Němcová’s classic Grandma, his contribution to Aurel Klimt‘s animated film version of Jan Werich’s Fimfárum, and his distinctive embellishment of Prague-Žižkov’s famed tavern “At the Shot Out Eye” (U vystřelenýho oka), where his conceptions adorn everything from the walls to the head-rests he invented for urinals.
[edit] Interpretation
A dominant theme in Velíšek’s work is man, or better put, the body of man, generally closed in a space in his nakedness or before a horizon, and treated with specific a kind of crookedness, or wantonness, that lends to the black humour of the images. The pictures always have a clear composition which, along with abundant use of writing, lead to a sort of Gothicism that is applied with equal measure to religion or pub scenes.
In 1992, however, his very human heroes provoked scandal—members of the local Catholic Church demanded that certain canvases on exhibition in the town of Znojmo be taken down or covered up. It was the fact of this uncommon precedent in Czech art and the publicity that came with it however that resulted in the artist's speedy and unsought-after celebrity.
Velíšek has since been the subject of two documentary films for Czech Television, Spring, Hell, Autumn, Winter (Jaro, peklo, podzim zima, 1994) and The Civilian Parealist's Studio (Ateliér civilistního parealisty, 1996). He lives in Prague with his wife and daughter.
[edit] Books
Books by/about:
- Lyžaři, Argo, 1996
- Už jsme doma 11+4, Argo, 2000 (pop-up book)
Book Covers:
- A uzřela oslice anděla, by Nick Cave, Argo, 1995
- Farma zvířat, Argo, 2000
- Babička: obrazy venkovského života, by Božena Němcová, Prostor, 2006
- And others.
[edit] External links
- Works online: http://scripts.noise.cz/ujd/velisek.htm
- Fimfárum: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299878/
- Portrait: http://www.studiopvm.com/stranky%20s%20fotkama/stranka_foto_velisek.htm
