Orchid

Almost unavailable on the market, this rare early work by Mikuláš Medek from 1946 demonstrates his deep interest in biology and nature, which he pursued with intensity immediately prior to entering the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague following World War II.  He left the Academy after one semester and transferred to the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, where he studied in František Muzika’s studio. Orchid comes from this challenging period and reveals the young artist’s remarkable artistic talent, sophistication, and deep intellectual grounding, in addition to his enduring interest in the natural sciences. At this time Medek composed his paintings like jigsaw puzzles made of symbolic motifs set against a neutral background that intentionally suppressed the illusion of spatial depth. The same principle is visible in Maize, created on 21 April of the same year. Working with a picture with a picture, the layering of artistic meanings, and assembling fragments into a whole references the artistic principles of Jindřich Štyrský, whose retrospective took place at Mánes in the spring of 1946 and had a profound effect on Medek. With its interest in natural motifs and their hidden, enigmatic nature, Orchid approaches the organic Surrealism seen, for example, in the works of František Janoušek. Medek was also very familiar with international artists and drew inspiration from Joan Miró, Max Ernst, Paul Klee, and Hieronymus Bosch. The painting’s composition comprises several designs dominated by the detailed drawing of an orchid reminiscent of botanical illustration, while a dream landscape with biomorphic shapes extends on the right side of the painting. The entire image is unified by a deep red shade, which appears in the glowing red circle, the organic shapes, and the petals of the orchid, thus imbuing the work with a corporeal accent connected to vulnerability and personal experience. The painting has a very strong visual charge and represents the singular example of Medek’s early experimentation at the intersection of Surrealism, a scientific fascination with nature and the internal world. The value of the work is increased by the fact that it remained in the possession of its first owner, Dr. Alice Masaryková, to whom the artist dedicated the painting on 21 February 1946, as demonstrated by a label containing the dedication on the verso. The painting was presented at the author’s independent exhibitions (Mikuláš Medek: Collected paintings, House of Arts Brno, 20 March – 20 May 1990; National Gallery in Prague, 14 June – 5 August 1990, cat. no. 18; Mikuláš Medek, Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, 25 April. – 18 August 2002, unnumbered) and was reproduced in the final exhibition’s catalogue on p. 18. Assessed in consultation with Prof. J. Zemina and PhDr. E. Kosáková-Medková, an art historian and the artist’s daughter. The expert opinion of PhDr. K. Srp is attached. “[...]The painting is significant for us not only because of its artistic quality, but also the way the author balances its relationship to symbolism. It is a gateway to Medek’s entire subsequent oeuvre and one of his earliest works, which are very rare today. [...].”