MEDIEVAL ART AND CZECH PAINTING OF THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY

The article, which is based on a dissertation, focuses on the preconditions for and first manifestations of the historicizing influence of medieval art in Czech painting after 1800, in particular the intellectual and stylistic influence. In terms of form, the religious-patriotic line of Czech painting was particularly affected by this trend. At the same time, there were more subtle and lasting influences on painting. These were connected with an appreciation of the 'primitivism' of the old paintings and an application of their painting strategies. In the context of early 19th century painting, these had considerable innovative power. With reference to the basic sources from the period, the article outlines the process by which a comprehensive overview of medieval art in Bohemia was developed (roughly from 1780 to 1840). This led to the formulation of an art-historical and aesthetic evaluation of medieval art, which became a source of inspiration for contemporary painting. Study of the paintings on wood at Karlstejn Castle and the court painter of Charles IV, Master Theodoricus, played a key role. At that time, the Czech school of painting was characterised by 'light', 'soft' folds of drapery, a reliance on classical Greek models and a tendency to idealise. (This was extolled in contrast to the German school, which was identified with the opposite features.) Roughly from the 1830s, the idea of the inner spiritual strength of the medieval paintings gained currency (represented in particular by the work of Master Theodoricus). This strength was believed to surmount the various formal imperfections. The idea is comparable to later theories of primitivism in art. Also of fundamental importance was the awareness of the original liturgical function of medieval painting, in comparison with the subsequent development of European painting, and the related evaluation of types of medieval painting in the painting of the 19th century. The second section of the article treats specific areas in which knowledge of medieval art influenced contemporary painting (period collections, the copying of paintings, instruction at the Prague Academy, painters' comments about their relationship to old art). It focuses in particular on the contemporary ideas about art that were influenced by reflection on medieval art. In this context, the article touches on the new trends of religious and religious-patriotic painting in Bohemia and examples of work by the painters Josef Führich, Frantisek Tkadlik and Josef Vojtech Hellich.