Open-Air Cinema

This exceptional work of one of the most sought-after contemporary Czech artists, Theodor Pištěk, combines two worlds in which Pištěk actively participated: the world of painting (the author is a leading representative of hyperrealism, albeit in a distinctive way) and the world of film (he won an Oscar for the costume design for the film Amadeus). The dramatic effect of the Open-Air Cinema is supported by the choice of an unusually horizontal format, which enabled the artist to develop the theme of the landscape panorama at dusk. The beholder can feel like a lonely cinema visitor who, at the end of the screening in the silence of the evening, plunged into a romantic reverie and gazed at the landscape, which until now had melted into the shadows on the background of the film screen. The bright white canvas forms the centrepiece of the composition, but without the film, it fulfils the role of a mere decoration and an impressive compositional element. The hill on the left, significantly reminiscent of the Milešovka Mountain, and the factory chimneys on the right could refer to the vicinity of Ústí nad Labem. Pištěk was probably inspired by the existing open-air cinema in this town, which offers visitors a similar view. As is characteristic of the artist, the scene could be equal to a photograph in terms of the precision of the depiction of details. He added certain lightness, an almost fairytale touch and especially feeling of solitude, not cold and oppressive, but warm and liberating. The work presents an intimate dreamlike vision, capturing the moment when time stopped and the surrounding world appeared. The painting was used on promotion materials for the 40 Years of Czechoslovak Nationalised Film Show (Prague, Dům U Hybernů, December 1985 – January 1986), of which Pištěk was one of the main organisers. Assessed during consultations by the artist, T. Pištěk. The expertise of PhDr. J. Machalický is attached.