John Jiří 1923–1972
Butterfly, 1968
drypoint, paper, mount, frame, glass, 23,5 × 27,5 cm, signed in pencil PD Jiří John 1968
Although Jiří John started with drawing and devoted his life to painting,
it was especially in the 1960s that printmaking became significant for his work,
which made him an internationally renowned artist. John used
a predominantly drypoint technique with a distinctive handwriting for which
characterized by short, tightly executed strokes covering the entire surface
of the scene, without strong contrasts. The theme of John's prints is
was nature, depicted despite the initial inspiration of specific scenes, such as
an abstracted universe, resembling the geological strata of the earth with different
natural formations, rocks and crystals. A silent and poetic world without human
presence, in which the life-giving power of the earth and nature plays the main role,
John has created with a unique imagination far removed from his generations
contemporaries.
His work was more closely related to the artistic work of Václav Boštík, with whom
to the work of Josef Šíma, with whose work he had a long-standing friendship.
John first became acquainted with at an exhibition at the Topič Salon in Prague in
1947. In the 1960s John had the opportunity to visit France several times
and repeatedly met Šíma in person at his retrospective exhibition
(1968) and in his Paris studio.
13
auction 65
starting price
24 000 CZK
€ 984
hammer price
42 000 CZK