With the sixth volume of Josef Čapek's writings we are launching an edition of visual journalism - the most extensive and so far least known area of Čapek's literary legacy. Čapek devoted himself to it in parallel with his artistic and literary work practically throughout his life; he published his first art report as a student at the School of Arts and Crafts in 1905, and his last one for Lidové noviny in the holidays of 1939, a few weeks before his arrest.
The present volume is devoted to the period 1905-1920, when Čapek gradually matured from his beginner's attempts at reference into a distinctive personality of the pre-war avant-garde. In his essays he tries not only to observe but also to actively shape artistic life. He advocates the principles of new artistic movements, defends the indescribable relationship of art to reality and teaches to see the beauty of "modern art form". His reports cover the essential events of the Czech art scene in a wide range from the activities of traditionally oriented associations to new breakthroughs and, within the limits of his possibilities, he also maps the current artistic events in Paris and Berlin. During the First World War, when the art scene was in decline and there were few opportunities for critics in Prague, Čapek concentrated on more general theoretical reflections and developed his interpretation of modern art into a distinctive conception of modern primitivism.
Making this collection of Čapek's texts available allows for a deeper understanding of the theoretical background of his artistic production and provides important source material for the interpretation of our pre-war avant-garde.
Czech edition