Lot 262: Ondrej Kohout * (born 1953 in Prague)

Ondrej Kohout * (born 1953 in Prague) "Black-legged woman and blue-tongued man", titled on the reverse and signed and dated O. Kohout 1995, oil on canvas, 130 x 130 cm, stretcher, (K)Reproduced in: Ondrej Kohout, 1995, Gallery, Ltd., 1996, plate 1Ondrej Kohout expresses himself in a fresh, effective, and communicative fashion. His art includes a sense of humour, irony, and absurdity. It serves as a projection surface for his power of observation, sharp eye, and gift of capturing certain situations and moments. His pictures are filled with colourful stories and incidents made up of a sequence of scenes from everyday life that reveal both the sobriety and ridiculousness of our actions. The medium of drawing is an essential component of his work and is determined by an energetic line that is based on reality as it is perceived and powered by the artist's imagination. The formal deformations depend on the power of expression and support its impact without affecting the naturalness of communication. Sometimes the colours are subdued and refined, whereas in other instances they form disharmonious chords reflecting contrasting considerations and opinions. The pictures depict different qualities and make different statements by addressing reality by means of exaggeration. The artist frequently uses allusions and simplified forms, emphatic lines or patches, in which expression is condensed. A simple, telling line means more to him than detailed description. The scheme of the draughtsman is complemented by the painter's facile hand and animates surface and volume. Ondrej Kohout's visual approach is linked to the tradition of Czech and Central European modernity. At its roots there is the legacy of crude Expressionism, as well as a lyrical poetry. Moreover, it also embraces the mystery of Symbolism... Dr. Jiri Machalicky, National Gallery, Prague, 1995