The Sea near Nice

The Sea near Nice is a meaningful example of Černý’s mature style from the late 1940s, when he returned to a more balanced view of the world after the hardships of war. The painter captured the view from a balcony overlooking the Côte d’Azur, ingeniously using the motif of the ornate balustrade as an architectural frame. This element draws the viewer into the composition, heightening the scene’s intimate nature. The surface of the sea itself is built on a rich spectrum of blue shades, modelled with gentle strokes and rhythmic waves, the regular structure of which turns the surface of the painting into a space full of depth and vibrating light. Černý has situated small boats and clouds on the distant horizon, which function almost symbolically – as signs of a far-off world, and, simultaneously, a source of visual rhythm. He enriches the traditions of Czech Modernism, to which he consciously subscribed, with his own contribution: a longing for calm, equilibrium and renewal after the difficult war years. The painting was created in 1949 during a short stay in France, where Černý sought new impulses and stimulation. His approach documents how postwar Czech painters viewed the Mediterranean landscape not only as an attractive motif, but, above all, as a space of spiritual cleansing and new beginnings. The work thus stands at the intersection of modern realism and the poetic lyricism characteristic of Černý. In addition to this canvas, other variations by the painter on this theme also exist: The Sea near Nice from 1949 (oil on canvas, 81 × 101 cm, GAVU Gallery of Fine Arts in Cheb, inv. no. O 155), and a later painting, The Sea near Nice from 1950 (oil on canvas, 110 x 131 cm, private collection).

The significance of the painting is underlined by its original provenance in the collection of JUDr. Jaroslav Borovička, an important Prague collector and the artist’s friend, who systematically supported his work and intentionally built a collection of it beginning in the 1940s. Thanks in large part to this support, Černý was able to create works during his stays in France that are now key pieces of his legacy as a painter. The Sea near Nice thus occupies a firm position, not just in the context of the artist’s oeuvre, but also in the broader context of postwar Czech Modernism, which managed to transform the experience of travel and contact with Western Europe into a visual testimony of longing for harmony and balance. Assessed in consultation with Prof. J. Zemina and PhDr. J. Machalický. The expert opinion of PhDr. K. Spr is attached: “[...] The painting is a wonderful example of the reborn Černý’s approach to modern painting, the actual impulse for which he absorbed during his short stay in France. Overcoming his previous melancholy, he concentrated on the more joyful side of life and subject matter unburdened by complex psychological states. [...] The painting is exceptionally evocative, uncommonly vivid, and radiates positive values of life. [...].”