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FIGURE 14. St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague (U/OU)
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of St. Vitus Cathedral, a famous landmark in Prague (Figure 14). Saints were the subject of the 128 celebrated panel paintings of Master Theodoric in the Chapel of the Holy Rood. Also inspired by religious beliefs, Master Paul of Levoca, a great sculptor of the 14th century, is noted for his masterpiece, the large altar at Levoca.
Religion was still an important subject for art during the Bohemian Renaissance of the 16th century and the Baroque period of the 18th century, but secular motifs also became more important. Among the major works were the monumental Church of St. Nicholas in Prague by K.I. Diezenhofer, and the highly regarded altar paintings of K. Skreta and P. Brandl. During the same period, rich decoration and articulated, painted gables, inspired by Italian secular design were popular additions to housing. The sculpture of the period was noted for the worldly, realistic forms of F.M. Brokoff and M. Braun.
Art turns from religious subjects to people, everyday life, landscapes, and historical events during the national revival of the 19th century. Best remembered are the realistic paintings of Josef Manes, Nicholas Ales, and Max Svabinsky, and the sculptures of Josef Vaclav Myslbek. Later in the 20th century before World War II, Czech artists, influenced by new ideas from Western Europe, were concerned with new forms of expression in painting and sculpture. Examples were the impressionism of Antonin Slavicek, the symbolism of J. Preisler, the abstractionism of Frantisek Kupka, and the cubism of Emil Lilla and O. Gutfreund. Also recognized are Alfons Mucha for his decorative and symbolic avant-garde paintings and Oskar Kokoschka for his psychological portraits and allegorical paintings.
After the Communist takeover, experimentation, abstractionism, and expressionism were officially discouraged. Studies of still life and nudes were no longer acceptable. Instead, intelligibility, monumentality, and nationalism were stressed. The art produced was generally unimaginative, sterile, and mannered. Limited experimentation in style and formed returned after 1955, and has more or less continued in contemporary Czechoslovakia despite the tightening of restrictions on artistic expression in the late 1960's and 1970's. Although sometimes cynical and macabre and not as dynamic as in earlier periods, Czechoslovakian fine arts and architecture still exhibit originality and individuality. A noted artist is Libor Fara who stresses simple planes with accented contours, sealed in tones of white, gray, and black. Architecture has become modern but somewhat sterile. No true innovations are permitted, even those that are functional. Noted architects are Karel Honzik and Zdensk Plesnik.
b. Folk and applied art
Originating in pre-Christian times, folk woodcarving is one of the earliest forms of cultural expression in Czechoslovakia. Wooden household gods and decorated wooden posts, marking sacred groves, served religious functions. After the arrival of Christianity, holy figures and tall wooden crosses were richly carved with both pre-Christian symbols of life, such as the sun
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