The greatest honor is when a painting captures someone’s attention, describes the Czech painter who is exhibiting at Christie’s auction | iRADIO

In your abstract Asteroid image, there are yellow, black and white colors. How was the painting created?
I was creating a series of “Hybrid landscapes”. This is a series of paintings that was part of my first exhibition at GASK (Gallery of the Central Bohemian Region in Kutná Hora – editor’s note). They are such free abstract landscapes based on associations.

Specifically, Asteroid stands out from the series in that there is no drawing. It’s just a painting with a very minimalistic yellow background and black shape. It’s not entirely clear what it is. I wanted to create a moment of the invasion of some foreign element. Something that suddenly comes and we can’t stop it. And all we see is the rapid movement of the thing.

In your studio in Prague’s Nuslí, we were able to notice five canvases propped up in a small room. Are all these paintings finished? Maybe even this one with a red background with a contrasting blue fragment in the middle right?
These paintings are not finished. For me it’s a process. Somewhere I return to them several times. Sometimes they’re done right away, and other times I need a month off before I get back to the painting.

Here specifically, I have Egyptian indigo, which I just received and I am completely delighted with it.

This is a deep blue, very intense pigment that almost glows. You also have socks in this color. So is it the color that inspires you the most?
I still need to explore Indigo. But blue is very important to me because it gives me a universal feeling. It is neither aggressive nor very soothing. He has a vague character that I enjoy working with.

Approach like music

Rhythm also plays a big role in your paintings. Is that why you have an exercise bike right next to the canvases?
(laughs) I actively use the exercise bike, but since it’s an unsightly thing, it’s in the studio where it’s a mess. By rhythm, I mean more musical. I actively listen to music and am surrounded by it. I played the drums for a long time.

I perceive a painting similarly to a musical composition. For example, by having structure, development and dominant points or gradation. I think you can use a similar approach to creating a piece of music.

If we look again at the red-blue picture, how would you play it?
The background is cadmium red. The pigment from which the cadmium is made is synthetic. That’s why it has such a metallic character.

Red is a warm color, but cadmium feels cold. So I would probably feel more synthetic or electronic music that would be rhythmic.

From landscape motifs to the abstract Asteroid to the online auction at Christie’s. Is this a milestone for you?
I didn’t expect it at all. For me, this is a great luck and I appreciate it. Just what I do, I will do and I need to do it, because that is my essence. I don’t judge if it’s good or bad, good or bad, but I have a need to do it. And that someone is interested, that is the greatest honor for me.

Painting Asteroid from the Hybrid Landscapes series, source: Christie’s

Martin Hrnciř

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