*Montanelli Museum Nominee
Artist
From Všenory, Central Bohemian region
Based in Všenory, Czech Republic
"I enjoy working with dreams in the spirit of Jungian depth psychology and thinking in symbolic language. Visits to galleries, where I spend hours in front of the mythological works of the old masters, are also a great source of inspiration.."
A: Please, tell us a bit more about yourself. What brought you to art?
D: Since I was a child, I liked to draw and create art. I lived surrounded by the paintings of my great-grandfather Karel Augusta, and my parents and I used to go to the Zbraslav Castle to the National Gallery's sculpture exhibition, where I drew Myslbek's Arda over and over. Those are my earliest artistic influences. At seventeen, I tried modeling sculptures, fell in love with it, and wanted to be a sculptor. This led me to the admission procedure at the Academy of Fine Arts, where fate diverted me to a different path and they chose me for the Drawing Studio. During my studies, I still flirted with sculpture, but eventually, I found a deep relationship with drawing. I found myself in it and it became my main means of expression.
A: What inspires you the most?
D: The biggest inspiration for me is my experience, inner images, dreams, and mythology, but also contact with nature, animals, and plants. I enjoy working with dreams in the spirit of Jungian depth psychology and thinking in symbolic language. Visits to galleries, where I spend hours in front of the mythological works of the old masters, are also a great source of inspiration, through which I experience encounters with living symbols the most.
A: Do you have any specific rituals while working (creating)?
D: When creating, I need to be alone, to go from "outside to inside", to calm down and adjust. Stop. Often first I just sit in a chair, look at the canvas let the painting affect me in its phase, and consider what to do next. New stimuli most often emerge precisely in this state of relaxation, but this is not the rule. Sometimes crucial moments of inspiration appear at an unexpected moment, at a moment of completely overwhelmed with external stimuli.
A: What would you recommend to someone new to art (an artist or just an admirer), what to begin with?
D: First of all, you need to start with yourself. Go through a period of influences and grind your way to individuality. Be persistent, and open to change and the unknown. Develop what I don't know and can't do.
A: Your top 3 adjectives related to art?
D: When it comes to art that touches me, then "alive, strong, affecting".
A: Your favorite Czech artists?
D: I have a lot of favorite artists, but I'll mention the ones that popped into my head while writing:
Toyen, Josef Šíma, Anna Zemánková, František Skála
Despite my initial resistance, Toyen's work got under my skin and is admirable in its courage of constant transformation. I literally cried over Josef Šíma's paintings because of the softness that is present in them from the beginning. In the plants of Anna Zemánková, I find the whole universe pulsating, and František Skála strikes me again and again with his playfulness and free imagination.
A: Is there a piece of art you think embodies the Czech national spirit and culture? Why?
D: Paintings of Libuš or Kupalo by Karel Vítězslav Mašek, of which, as the only works depicting the ancient times of our territory, I feel really deep roots.
A: The perfect way to start any conversation about art is: …?
D: "How does it affect you?"
A: Where can we meet you?
D: In Všenory in my studio with a view of greenery, in Prague or in the galleries.
A: Please, share your favorite quote (not necessarily related to art)
D: "You will never find peace by avoiding life."
(from the movie The Clock)
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