Echoes of traditions

The European art of the second half of the 19th century was marked by a revolutionary transformation of vision, which we usually associate with realism and naturalism, but mainly with impressionism. The new styles were a response to social changes and discoveries in the field of science, especially optics. There was a feeling that works of art should be closer to the atmosphere of real life. Artists applied their new insights into colour, the spectrum and light, and changed the principles of harmony and colour. By the turn of the century, Art Nouveau, the latest universal style combining efficiency with decoration, was taking over. Many artists relaxed their flow of vision and inspiration and completely deviated from the forms of expression of the previous century. This made the beginning of the twentieth century an extraordinary, contradictory and artistically productive period in which the transition to the modern art of the twentieth century could take place.

A gorgeous example of Art Nouveau symbolist painting is The Girl’s Dream by Jan Preisler – it declares the liberalism and open-mindedness of a modern Czech society that respects the equality of both sexes which is not averse to tastefully depicted eroticism and vitality. This painting was originally meant to be a nude bathing girl, but the artist altered the concept during the course of the work - he placed the proudly and slightly defiant barefoot girl standing in the centre of the composition in a yellow dress symbolizing the colour of the sun, flowers and brightness. The Girl’s Dream comprises half of a diptych with The Boy’s Dream, painted by Preisler in 1907 for the newly built National House in Prostějov.