Postmodern Approaches (1980s)

The period of real socialism, which lasted from 1972 until the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, was, in the unofficial sphere, far from focused only on existential themes, as it might at first appear. The pressure of the regime against non-conformist artists was, however, very strong and culminated after the publication of the protest initiative Charter 77, which criticized the violation of human rights in Czechoslovakia. A number of dissidents and other members of the cultural opposition ended up in prison, but studios continued to be hives of activity. In addition to Geometric, Action and Conceptual art, a generation of young artists began to form around 1983, who were just beginning to study at art college. Several years later, in various places, to varying degrees and in various formations, young artists proclaimed their affiliation with the unclear but suggestive currents of European postmodernism. It was a time of passionate intergenerational debates, mutual condemnation and the gradual dissolution of prejudices. Today, all that remains of this is ‘just art’ that once wanted to break all the established canons, but now these works sit peacefully in galleries and collections alongside the works of their former artistic enemies.

As one of the few figurative artists of the time, Jan Knap tried to combine the traditional with the contemporary, as illustrated in this painting Untitled from 1984. It shows the infant Jesus playing with a toy train. Maybe we can say, it's a really good idea to paint Jesus playing on the floor in a nursery which has everything it should have: a toy truck, a cat, and a finch chirping a summer melody on the windowsill. In short, we are witnessing almost perfect well-being, peace and tranquillity. But only until our eyes glide through the open window to the horizon, and we see three crosses on the hill. Idyll suddenly changes to drama. Cat and Bird, Jesus and Golgotha - Life and Death. That's what's really going on here. Jan Knap - although in the 1980s he was perceived in a postmodern context - found it more difficult than his contemporaries to gain prominence because of the overt religious content of his work, but today his paintings and drawings are highly valued.