Czech Cubism (1910-1920s)

Cubism was one of the first avant-garde movements to have a major influence on the development of modern art throughout the 20th century. Its themes can be found in Futurism, Constructivism and Expressionism, as well as in abstract art. Under the influence of Albert Einstein's discoveries, art strived to capture both the fourth dimension of space and the philosophical quality of infinity. In the Czech environment, two streams of opinion emerged from the beginning. The first, led by Emil Filla, defended Cubism in its original Picassian form. The second was represented by the brothers Karel and Josef Čapek, who created a more liberal form of Cubism, in which other influences could be applied, not only European, for example Italian futurism, but also more domestic concepts with more colourful and more decorative expressions.

A prime example of the analytical cubist approach to a subject is Emil Filla's portrait Woman with a Fan from 1917. The image captures the structure of the woman from many sides. The face has not only crystalline faceted parts, but one eye can be found entirely outside the face, to the right of the head. The torso is broken into forms of stereometric bodies. The flower at shoulder height is shattered into small cubic features, a book in the hand of the figure is also open at several pages. The painter's view also includes the immediate surroundings of the woman. The walls are broken around the figure in to vertical planes, some of them interpenetrating. Despite this, the overall impression does not appear fragmented.