Paintings and exhibitions seem to be my theme for cultural tips recently. This weekend is no exception. I spent part of Saturday afternoon in the Waldstein Riding School Gallery (Valdštejnská jízdárna) enjoying paintings from the late 1800s by Otakar Lebeda.
The young man showed an interest in art from a young age and was accepted to the Art Academy at only 15. He was a trained in landscapes.He traveled throughout the Czech Republic, as well as France, painting the scenes around him. At only age 22 he shot and killed himself due to a long suffering with depression and dissatisfaction with his work.
His early work is quite "correct", with each blade of grass as it should be. But as he develops as an artist, his talent for taking an every day scene and transforming it into lights, shadows and strokes of the brush that are full of emotion also develops. Had he lived, I'm sure he would have rivaled other well-known impressionists.
Most of the works in this exhibition are on loan from private collectors and haven't been exhibited before. A few of his works hang in the National Gallery, but this is the largest exhibit of his work ever organized.
A walk through this exhibition will make you long for the country side, feel color as an emotion and give you a greater appreciation for talent.
(If you go after 16.00, then the ticket is discounted 50kc)
www.ngprague.cz/cz/10/0/2433/sekce/otakar-lebeda-1877-1901/
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