Rotrekl Theodor 1923–2004

Six days on the moon

gouache, airbrush, cardboard, frame, glass, 34,6 × 40 cm
In 1963, a publication by Ivo Štuka entitled Six Days on the Moon 1 was published by SNDK in the Krystal edition, accompanied by illustrations by Teodor Rotrekel, who is also referred to as the co-author of the publication. A children's excursion to the Moon base provided an interpretation of the past, present and future of aviation and cosmonautics. Rotrekla's illustrations and designs for the book reflect his long-standing interest and fascination with space and cosmological visions, as well as scientific advances and the possibilities of technology. His impeccable, precise work, created with airbrushes, creates a utopian imagery through precise detail and collage-like compositions evoking movement without gravity. Rotrekl's science fiction works also reflect the contemporary fascination with the conquest of space, which also manifested itself in Czechoslovak art. The work was presented at the exhibition Planet Eden: the World of Tomorrow in Socialist Czechoslovakia 1948-1978, Brno House of Arts and DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague, 16 September-29 November 2010, in the catalogue of which it is also published (T. Pospiszyl / I. Adamovič, Planet Eden: the World of Tomorrow in Socialist Czechoslovakia 1948-1978, Arbor vitae 2010, p. 162). T. Rotrekl (1923-2004) was a Czech painter and illustrator who worked mainly in the science fiction genre, but also in children's educational literature. In the late 1940s he studied book illustration at the Academy of Arts and Crafts in Prague. In 1959 he became a member of the Radar art group, developing modernist morphology in the wake of Group 42. In the 1970s Rotrekl was forbidden to exhibit, due to the refusal of the invading Soviet troops. After 1980, he was allowed to publish again and devoted himself almost exclusively to the science fiction genre until his death.