A piece of Václav Machán’s world

“The image is created by quietly observing the landscape, by feeling oneself until a kind of dialogue takes place.
Only then is it time to think about the painting.” (Václav Macháň)

Last December we christened a new publication in the gallery. Catalogue A Piece of the World by Václav Macháň. Its content is related to the exhibition Václav Macháň: A Piece of the World, which we hosted at the gallery at the turn of 2022 and 2023.

In addition to the art-historical texts, which were created on the basis of research into the rich archival material from the estate of Václav Macháň, the catalogue also contains an interview with Blanka Macháňová, the painter’s wife. On the basis of her memories of her husband, it is possible to form a clearer picture not only of the artist’s character, but also of his creative life. For example, we learn from the schedule what the artist’s daily routine looked like: “He regularly went to the studio in the morning, where he worked until lunchtime. This was followed by a meal break, a moment of rest, and in the afternoon, unless he was occupied with other important work, he continued painting until the evening.

Václav Macháň at work in his studio in Chocni. Photo by Bernard Lesaing

The visual aspect of the catalogue is defined by a rich pictorial accompaniment that documents the artist’s most important works. The core of Václav Macháň’s work was landscape painting and although the form of landscapes in his paintings is subject to special internal laws, we can perceive the painter as an exceptionally sensitive observer of nature.

You can buy the catalogue A Piece of the World by Václav Macháň in the house U Rytířů.
The authors of the graphic design are Lenka and Johny Bartoshek from the creative studio wwworks.

The catalogue A Piece of the World by Václav Macháň was published thanks to the kind financial support of the State Culture Fund.

Accompanying programme