Kupka and Abstract Expressionism

Bohemian-born artist František Kupka began in the 1890s by painting portraits and historical themes. Later he went on to become one of the key figures in the development of abstract expressionism and Orphic cubism (Orphism). In this post we’ll see his works in chronological order in order to see the changes he made in his style...

Art and Design, CULTURE

April 1, 2016

The Cow Parade in Prague

Watch out because the cows have come to the Czech Republic – Prague, to be exact. Yes, the Cow Parade was in Prague! The concept of a cow parade was first thought up in 1998 in Zurich, Switzerland by artistic director Walter Knapp. It is based on an idea which was realised for the first time...

LIFESTYLE

March 22, 2016

Czech Easter Egg Designs

Today we’re going to focus on incredibly detailed hand-painted eggs and miniature works of art known as Kraslice, the Czech word for Easter Egg. Throughout the Czech Republic, the beautiful Easter egg designs are elevated to a different level in the country. The egg is a popular symbol in many cultures. This ancient symbol is often associated with rebirth or fertility...

Holidays

December 4, 2015

Winter Wonderlands by Josef Lada

Although Lada is most famous for his illustrations of Jaroslav Hašek’s novel The Good Soldier Švejk, he also painted multiple Christmas cards and holiday illustrations between the years 1918 and 1938. Most of his holiday themed artworks depict charming Czech villages in the midst of winter, snowcapped and calm. Characterized by pastel cottages, Czech villagers,...

LIFESTYLE

Bila-Hora-Tram-Prague-Clare-Caulfield-Tres-Bohemes

December 2, 2015

Prague’s Whizzing Red Trams by Clare Caulfield

Clare Caulfield is an artist based in Yorkshire, England. Her art is inspired by her travels to various cities around the world. Her distinctively styled artworks features the architecture of cities such as New York, Paris, Rome, Istanbul, and Sydney. Her collection of Prague illustrations capture the bustling pavements and whizzing red trams of the...

Art and Design, CULTURE

December 1, 2015

Winter by Karel Svolinský in 1948

Karel Svolinský (January 14, 1896 – September 16, 1986) was a significant Czech painter, printmaker, illustrator, typographer, stage designer and university lecturer. Today’s post is Winter by Karel Svolinský in 1948, in honor of the weather getting cooler and December’s 1st day. Look at this precious set of 10 original lithographed postcards printed in 4 simple colors....

LIFESTYLE

November 12, 2015

Karel Svolinsky’s Sweetest Illustrations

Karel Svolinsky was a famous, well, everything! Ask any Bohemian exactly what Karel Svolinsky was and be prepared for multiple answers. This is because he had so many talents, and unlike most people, decided to use them all. He is known to be a painter, graphic designer, illustrator, typographer, font creator, stage designer, and university lecturer. Though...

Art and Design, CULTURE

November 9, 2015

Artist’s Work is Worn on Their Faces

Artist Portraits is an ongoing series of collages by Roberto Voorbij in which artists wear their work on their faces. Created with the same concept, each of the works in the series features a portrait of an artist in which the face is replaced by an artwork by that artist. The resulting photographs are fascinating....

CULTURE, Photography

October 25, 2015

Venus on Strip Street by Ladislav Sutnar

The last few weeks, we’ve been posting the amazing work of Ladislav Sutnar. Ladislav Sutnar (1897-1976) was one of the first designers to actively practice in the field of information design and information architecture. His work was based on rationality and the process of displaying massive amounts of information in a concise and organized way...

Art and Design, CULTURE

October 23, 2015

Vintage Czech Cookbook Illustrations

The following vintage Czech cookbook illustrations are from my cookbook, Česká Kuchařka from 1969. Yes, it has been in our family all those years. It was my grandmothers, then my mothers, mine and soon my daughters. It’s filled with over 500 delicious Czech recipes which make for some amazing dinners to please our friends and impress...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT

October 22, 2015

David Cerny – Giant Bronze Babies

In Prague there is art wherever you go. You can stop by any grocery store and find sculptures. Walk down any street and you are most likely to see a band preforming traditional Czech music on accordions, basses, and saxophones. But there are only two places you can see the sculptures we are talking about...

Art and Design, Bohemians, CULTURE

Antonin-Prochazka-Czech-Artist-Painter-Tres-Bohemes(28)

October 17, 2015

The Art of Antonin Prochazka

Antonin Prochazka was born on June 5, 1882 at Vážany u Vyškova and died on June 9, 1945 in Brno. He was a Czech painter, graphic artist and illustrator. His work early on was expressionist, as the other members of The Eight influenced him, mostly Edvard Munch. Then, he gradually moved towards cubism. After 1925, he left cubism...

Art and Design, Bohemians, CULTURE

October 15, 2015

The Beauty of Flowers by Kari Herer

Kari Herer is a photographer from Yarmouth, Maine. She sells fine art prints inspired by the natural beauty of flowers. Her work has been featured in China’s Techmag Magazine and on the cover of the book Bitter in The Mouth by Monique Truong. Her prints capture the beauty of nature, combining original sketches of flowers, animals, and insects with...

Art and Design, CULTURE

Ladislav-Sutnar-Street-Fair-for-Build-the-Town-3

October 11, 2015

Building the Town Street Fair for Ladislav Sutnar

Last week I posted Building the Town with Ladislav Sutnar and later I discovered that his home town of Plzen, Czech Republic actually recreated the toys in larger size and arranged them for a street fair to re-introduce Czechs to this amazing designer. Pretty cool idea, right? The popular set of building blocks entitled “Build a...

Art and Design, CULTURE

October 6, 2015

Alphonse Mucha Canvas Prints

Famous for his luxurious Art Nouveau posters and dreamy, romantic style, Czech artist Alphonse Mucha created a collection of unforgettable illustrations throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This slim panel depicting a demure young woman surrounded by primroses adds ethereal allure to any room. “La Primavere” by Alphonse Mucha This next one is...

Art and Design, CULTURE

Build-the-Town-Building-Block-Set-Ladislav-Sutnar

October 4, 2015

Building the Town with Ladislav Sutnar

The colors were primary – painted red, yellow and blue. The shapes were simple, geometric bodies – cylinders, blocks and pyramids. The style could be called Modernism, the Constructivists, Bauhaus, Avantgarde… this was a time of new things, completely different from what we’ve seen before. Today’s he is recognized as the pioneer of information design and...

Art and Design, CULTURE