Pavel Brázda (born 1926) is considered one of the leading solitary figures of Czech art during the second half of the 20th century. His expression stems from a highly original conception of figural realism in which elements of a dream-like inner visionary state are fused with a universal humanist statement about both the positive and negative aspects of the human psyche. We are thus presented with a mirror image of the entire spectrum of human mental being, ranging, in the artist’s words, ‘from nightmare to idealism’. Brázda’s visual language is a unique phenomenon in the context of Czech (and perhaps also international) art. It has its roots in various historical chapters and trends of European culture: neither Gothic ‘surreality’ nor De Chirico’s metaphysical space are alien to him. Above all, however, it has its source in the Brázda’s credo that ‘one should stand by one’s truth’, in his uncompromising refusal to yield to ideological pressure or stylistic dogma. Brázda’s exhibition at GASK is being staged to mark his 90th birthday. It presents a concise retrospective survey of his life’s work as well as his latest pictures created as digital prints on canvas.

Richard Drury