First thing that caught my full attention after entering the gallery was of course the enormous canvas with hyperrealist depiction of a spruce forest by Adam Kašpar (“Smrkový prales”). I believe this was the case for many of us, as not only the size of this work, but also the amount of detail and time put into this is simply breathtaking.

However exciting this work was, I wouldn’t describe it as my most favorite. Hyperrealism fascinates me and I cannot put into words the amount of respect I have for its creators; however, I prefer other, more abstract artistic genres.

Only few steps from Kašpar’s canvas were small ink paintings by Alfred Kubin, a series called “Fantazie na Šumavě”. Contrary to its name, the series depicted rather haunting images of Šumava’s folklore and some other creepy characters. My favorite one is probably the one called “Death on the Rooftop”.

The most beautiful works for me though were certainly the ones depicting mountains, each in its own way. Whether it were the small ink paintings by František Šimon Tavík, a display of the beautiful High Tatras, or the fusion of geometry and realism in the work “Relations” by Daniel Fischer, all of them were simply a joy to look at. The latter mentioned can be connected to our research, because, as the title itself suggests, it shows the relations between mountains and different spatial perceptions of them.

For me personally, this visit was both a nice diversion and a beneficial experience to this whole seminar, I’m really looking forward to our trip, which will certainly be another boon for our research.