The Face motif appears in the Old Masters cycle, which has been in development since the 1990s (1993–2023), back when we were students visiting the Sternberg Palace to paint copies of Old Masters based on the originals. The first painting was based on El Greco's Christ in Prayer (1993–1995).
After three months of intensive work, when the painting was nearly finished, someone stole it right out of the National Gallery’s exhibition, paints and all. After a long period of frustration, I ultimately decided to paint the piece again and continue this cycle for another 30 years.
I select iconic paintings by Da Vinci, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Hals, Caravaggio, and Vermeer, as well as Bacon, Warhol, and other significant creators from the Renaissance and Baroque periods through to the 20th century. I attempt to paint these works in a traditional manner and subsequently deconstruct them using various painting techniques, such as dissolving, tearing away, washing out, etc. The narrative motif thus transforms into an abstract structure.
In the Old Masters cycle, I am interested in the theme of the face and time—exploring and interweaving the past and the present, permanence and transience. Reinterpreting portraits opens a dialogue between the Old Masters, contemporary painting, and memory.
Long-term, however, I am interested in what the viewer experiences in their mind and eye before a painting. Whether an image can evoke emotions and whether it is possible to transform not just the viewer and the painting, but the space itself.
