Madonna

MADONNA, from the "Computer Paintings" series, 1996-1997,

Working on a computer allowed me to use elements from the works of other artists to create images, which I combine into a new, different, and therefore my own image. My authorship lies primarily in the content, which is authentic even though, naturally, the individual fragments carry a portion of their original content with them. It is precisely the collection of these small messages, and above all a certain aesthetic determined by (my) selection (or a series of other elements that captured my interest), that create my own content, my own aesthetic. However, it does not hide its sources and naturally acknowledges the quoted artists or at least some of their works. (In a manual for a "process primarily for the mind" titled Negation (1977), I state that "it is possible to select from already existing works by various authors those works that demonstrate a presented idea and consider their collection to be a new work, which can serve as a springboard for our further ideas.") Although the technique of creating these images of mine begins with the collage method, where I assemble individual elements into an image, I then utilize the possibilities of the computer for "painterly" work. I fill in missing parts or remove details I consider superfluous, or entire sections of images, and create new forms. I handle color with complete freedom. I can use the existing palette or change it at will, or colorize black-and-white parts. (Some reproductions I obtained only in black and white.) I also use photographic or sculptural elements. The areas from which I draw material for my images are not defined by anything other than my interests. That is why I can place side-by-side (for example) a Gothic figure, an Impressionist landscape, an erotic photograph, an illustration from a fairy tale book, and (essentially) anything else. I do not care about the fame or the so-called quality of individual authors and works. While working on these paintings, freedom from any clear concept was important to me. I was guided only (and solely) by an inner desire to create an image, and anything could enter the creative process that might help in the creation of the image, according to my unjustified and unjustifiable feelings at any given moment. I also refer here (or rather recall) to Van Gogh's vision of a collaborative painting, where each member of the circle of Impressionists and Post-Impressionists at the time would paint a certain part of it, specifically the one that (according to Van Gogh) they mastered best. (If I remember correctly, Gauguin [would paint] the trees, Lautrec the figures, Van Gogh the sky with stars.) This was supposed to result in a painting that would be a combination of certain perfections. This naive dream of Van Gogh's seems strangely relevant to me today. As a tribute to Van Gogh, whom I loved deeply and fiercely (his Letters were the only book I took with me to military service) and whom I still immensely respect, I named this series of paintings "Van Gogh's Dream." And paintings continue to emerge that have no clear intention, only reacting to the state of my little soul, and stories emerge on them accordingly.

Milan Knížák