Island I

Island I represents a key moment in Muzika’s work, when he abandoned synthetic Cubism in favour of imaginative painting teetering on the edge of Surrealism. An anthropomorphic island emerges from the surface of the water like living matter reminiscent of the human body; it alludes to a hidden meaning of embodiment in the landscape, furthering the later Romantic tradition, especially the work of Arnold Böcklin. The instability of human existence is symbolised by a linear construction with a black cross leaning against a red frame on the shore, a motif that would appear across Muzika’s work until the mid-1940s. The painting is characterised by excellent technical execution and the rigorous formal construction of autonomous, significant units, each with its own meaning. The listed canvas can also be understood as an evolution of the “reclining nudes” or “figures” of the same creative period, in which these images are connected by a metaphorical approach to corporality, where human forms transition seamlessly into elements of landscape. Muzika developed a similar principle in Island II (oil on canvas, 1937, 80 x 120 cm), which not only shares Island I’s subject matter, but also its formal approach to creating a mysterious atmosphere through biomorphic morphology. The value of the work is strengthened by its exhibition at the defining Muzika retrospective at the Waldstein Riding School (František Muzika: Painting, drawings, set designs, book graphic design, National Gallery in Prague, September – October 1981, cat. no. 53). The painting was also reproduced in František Šmejkal’s monograph (František Muzika, Prague 1966, fig. 51). On the verso, the number 357 from the artist’s own catalogue appears on the frame. Assessed in consultation with Prof. J. Zemina and PhDr. R. Michalová, PhD. The expert opinion of PhDr. K. Srp is attached: “[...] Island I is a rare work from the beginning of a new period for Muzika, when he abandoned synthetic Cubism and resolved to create and articulate hidden content. What captivates us in the painting is the excellence of the technical execution, characteristic of Muzika’s approach, which is unparalleled in Czech painting of this era. [...].”