Vilém Heckel a Legend of Czech Photography

The Vilém Heckel Photographic Archive © Vilém Heckel, Helena Heckelová

If there ever was a individual whose work has irrevocably made a historical, unique and irrevocable contribution not only to Czech but world photography, the man is Vïlém Heckel.His fundamental passionate love of nature, sport and especially the high mountains provided the lifetime passion of mountaineering photography. Ironically, his love for photographing mountains, especially monumental mountain ranges unfortunately also became his destiny.

Vilém Heckel Kavkaz 1958 © Vilém Heckel, Helena Heckelová

Vilém Heckel was born in 1918 in Pilsen into the family of Adolf Heckel , a crane operator for Skoda Plzen, who himself was a devout tourists and passionate photographer who had no idea that he would predestine the career of his son.In 1936, Wilhelm Heckel studied in Pilsen as a trade photographer, specializing in portraits and began working in small photography studios. After that he became the trade photographer in Zbrojovka Brno and the Czechoslovak Chamber of Commerce in Prague. He also devoted his time to commercial photography in his work, concentrating on cars, motorcycles, electronics, etc., yet this body of his work is largely unknown and unrecognized.In 1949 he was admitted to the photographic section of the Association of Czechoslovak Creative Artists. .

Vilém Heckel Commercial Photography © Vilém Heckel, Helena Heckelová

In the fifties, he began to actively commit himself to mountain climbing. He successfully completes his first major ascents and along with his cameras discovers and captures the instrumentality of primordial nature, the magical majesty of the mountains and discovers his personal gift that gives these photographs a story and humanist relevance In 1956, he eaves his regular day job and fully devotes himself to his freelance photography. Finally, he can now fully and freely devote himself to his beloved mountains and travel, local and world wide expeditions and trips.He publishes first publication, “Our mountains” .In 1960 he has his first public exhibition in Prague of a collection of his photographs from the Caucasus.

Vilém Heckel Linhof © Vilém Heckel, Helena Heckelová

In the sixties, he publishes a series of monograms with the following titles- Journeys to the High Peaks, Kingdom of the Sun and Ice Expedition Caucasus, Hindu Kush, The Stairs of the Universe and others.On 23rd April 1970, he departs on an expedition to Peru to climb the mountain range surrounding Huascaran. Tragically, on May 31st, he and his friends and expedition climbing partners died in mountaineering camp avalanche of mud and rocks during an earthquake under the mountain of Huascaran.

Vilém Heckel HINDÚKUŠ 1965 © Vilém Heckel, Helena Heckelová

The focus and themes of Wilhelm Heckel’s work does not only mountains. He created a monumental body of work encompassing excellent portraits, unparalleled architecture, urban atmosphere, winding streets, intimate moments and those magical yet sometimes fleeting moments that landscape provides.In Trento, in the competition of Vitorio Sella, he won the top award for mountaineering photography..During his lifetime he published 10 books, many of which have been translated in numerous languages.The photographs of Wilhelm Heckel continue to be posthumously published in a memorial book as well as other publications, which confirm his constant relevance, importance and actuality.He and his wife Milada and daughters Eva and Helena lived in Cernosice near Prague. Among his close friends were the writers Ota Pavel, Arnost Lustig, Arnost Černík; the world renowned athlete Emil Zatopek, Frantisek Stastny, the screenwriter and director Francis Pojdl; and world class mountaineers Radan Kuchař, Bohumil Svatos, Jan Červinka. His artistic and human sensitivity, technical excellence, diligence, hard work, courage and exclusivity, have ranked Wilhelm Heckel among the leading Czech and international photographers for generations to come.

Vilém Heckel with the the renowned Czech Photographer Josef Sudek 1960 © Vilém Heckel, Helena Heckelová

For Sales Inquiries, Gallery Representation or Co-operation, Exhibits, please contact The Vilém Heckel Photographic Archive Director: Helena Heckelová heckelova@vilemheckel.cz www.vilemheckel.cz

NO!

Pussy Riot 2012

Pussy Riot 2012

There is unity in the oppression. There must be absolute unity and determination in the response.” Julian Assange.

“Beach Life” by Eric Fischl

“Beach Life” by Eric Fischl Opens at Guild Hall

A major solo show by Eric Fischl opens on Saturday at Guild Hall Museum. “Beach Life” presents 15 paintings depicting life unfolding on the beaches of the Hamptons, St. Tropez and St. Barts. The show includes works loaned from the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and private collectors. Two paintings have never been exhibited before. All of the works are figurative.“Forget about bathing beauties,” writes the novelist A.M. Holmes in the forward of the bookBeach Paintings published by Rizzoli. “The beachgoers in Eric Fischl’s paintings are real people caught with their guard down–often their bathing suits too–as they wade and wallow at surf’s edge or lounge on the sand, sunlight slathering their naked thighs and shoulders.”

“Beautiful Day” by Eric Fischl, 2006. Oil on linen, 53 x 78 inches. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Zeckendorf.

“Four Women” by Eric Fischl, 2010. Oil on linen, 80 x 112 inches. Collection of Terry Semel.

The works in “Beach Life” were painted from 1983 to 2010. Works range in size from 3 x 4 feet to panels that stretch to over 13 feet. The people populating his painting are sometimes friends and family.For instance, Fischl’s wife–the painter April Gornik–stands prominently in a polka dot bathing suit in ”The Gang.”  Artists Bryan Hunt, David Salle and Ralph Gibson are included in the painting inspired by group photographs made by Hans Namuth of Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and other artists gathered on a sand dune, according to Phyllis Tuchman, who wrote the essay for the exhibition.

“Untitled” by Eric Fischl, 2010. Oil on linen, 48 x 32 inches.

Beach scenes have been Fischl’s muse for over three decades, writes Tuchman in her essay Beach Baby Blue.“Some of Fischl’s earliest beach scenes are extensions of the narrative panels that secured his reputation in the early nineteen eighties,” she writes. “Others have only a figure or two, their poses based on photographs the artist took on the French Rivieradecades ago. A few are outright portraits. Many are virtuoso displays of light and shadow with slashing brushstrokes that animate the surf as well as hair blowing in the breeze.”While the setting is casual and the figures relaxed, the paintings are steeped with psychological undertones and narrative intrigue. Tuchman sums it up this way: “In the beach paintings on view at Guild Hall, Fischl has conveyed how men and women enjoying sand and surf, in his words, ‘drop their guard.’ He has imbued his figures with the ‘hedonistic, the erotic, the playful’ in a way that has allowed the artist to address ‘a metaphor of desire and fantasy.”

…culture mirror…

role reversal Esselle Arredo

...emotions conceptual…..By: Esselle Arredo

A Kent Williams Masterpiece!

Kent Williams masterpiece!

via Sam Wilson Los Angeles based artist Kent Williams has built up an impressive reputation as a contemporary figurative painter El artista estadounidense afincado en Los Ángeles Kent Williams se ha hecho con una gran reputación como pintor figurativo contemporáneo

Eva…

Eva…

via GLI AUTO-ESILIATISpunta una donna nello scandalo del Vaticano. Sarà Eva???

Barbara Bezina Art…A- Arte digital masterworks

Bárbara Bezina © 2011

“Otoño” Arte digital 2011

Bárbara Bezina © 2011

“La tormenta” Arte digital 2011 Bárbara Bezina ©

I have long been fascinated with Barbaras work, digital it is, but it actually is an art form in it’s own right, not just an exploit of a digital gimmick. Sometimes the images can be quite powerful and strong, but that is one of the integral parts of art. These are from her Facebook Art Page. She also has a great WordPress Blog.   It is always a pleasure to anticipate new works…

Amazingly haunting and powerful Image…

Daria Endresen

via Branka Kurz…Daria Endresen photo/model: me idea/edit: Nanoo G. http://www.nanoo-g.com/ fan-page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nanoo-G/129511140485711 this image was removed from my fan-page earlier, for apparently obcene and inappropriate content.. after staring at it for half an hour i still couldnt figure out what exactly needs to be cencored. so, dear reporters, before you go and snitch to fb admins, please tell me what is so awfully offencive here – i promise i will cencor it immediately. — with Mariko Nakabayashi and Michel Rodríguez Fotografía.

” Soy siempre yo misma…. pero de cierto no seré la misma para siempre.”

Carmen B Pol

via  Barbara Bernardo Carmen B Pol ” Soy siempre yo misma…. pero de cierto no seré la misma para siempre.”

Tereza z Davle…une photographe humaniste..

Tereza a Ivana

I must admitt that it took me quite a while to write this post.Not sure why, something personal perhaps, maybe I experienced a meeting with a special and magical person, who knows.I have been following Tereza’s work for quite a while now..her unique vision as well as my fondness for the media she works in. We sort of kept in touch, mostly in the Praha art clique, it is not very big an somewhat closed in.Then I had the pleasure to being invited to her recent opening at Kamzik..a bar/gallery I remember well from the days I like to call when Praha was still Bohemian.I was immeditely struck by her magical personality and how it echoes in her work.I think the moment that summarizes this was at the Kamzik opening and I was outside having a smoke with an gentlemen who has been involved in the theater and was also helping behind the bar. We started chatting and he wanted to know who I was and how I knew Tereza. I told him our little history, but also stressed the fact that during the societal period in which we live in, where thieves and crooked politicians play more of a significant civilization duty that artists…people like Tereza need special care, protection from the evil and like minded souls to be around with. I even had a similar conversation with the Czech sculptor Ales Hnizdil, about the same theme. So, since I changed the focus of this blog to concentrate on living artist I am in contact with and admire, I will showcase more of Tereza’s work as time goes on… It was an honor to meet her.

Hotel de France Tereza z Davle

Friends(Kamarádky) Tereza z Davle

Curves Tereza z Davle

Tereza has quite a lot of press written about her, a nice synapse from Wikipedia..and of course her own website…Dětství prožila v Davli. Vystudovala střední ekonomickou školu, pracovala jako recepční nebo jako asistentka v reklamní agentuře. Většinu volného času trávila ve skupině umělců a bohémů okolo baru Kamzík v Kamzíkově ulici v Praze, kde měla své první výstavy.Začala fotografovat v roce 1993, poprvé vystavovala v roce 1996. Je samoukem, fotografuje profesionálně portréty a akty, zpravidla černobíle, na klasický film.[1][2]V současnosti se živí jako fotografka aktů, které vytváří pro soukromé účely zákaznic. Nadále pokračuje i ve volné tvorbě, kde se vedle aktů a portrétů začínají objevovat také nalezená zátiší. V roce 2009 vydala obsáhlou monografii Feminissimo.Tereza z Davle žije v Kounicích u Českého Brodu. Má dvě děti – syny Olivera a Alexandra. AKT – naučte se fotografovat kreativně. Brno : Zoner Press, 2007. ISBN 978-80-86815-68-8. S. 190–197. TEREZA Z DAVLE. Feminissimo. [s.l.] : Slovart, 2009. ISBN 978-80-903133-2-3. Reference ↑ Povídání s Terezou. FotoVideo, červenec 2009, roč. 13, s. 14–25. ISSN 1211–5312. ↑ PACOVSKÁ, Edita. Akty Terezy z Davle – a dál? [online]. Fotografovani.cz, 2006-7-28, [cit. 2010-03-18]. Dostupné online. Tereza z Davle – osobní stránky Petr Vilgus: Fotografie jako pudová záležitost, rozhovor z ledna 2011 Akty Terezy z Davle – a dál? Fotografka Tereza z Davle: Dokážu zařídit, aby se každá svlékla Tereza z Davle – Feminissimo – představení knihy Tereza z Davle v Show Jana Krause vysílané dne 5. 11. 2010 na TV Prima World WebPhoto Gallery

I have a section on this blog for her work, I sort of had the chance of vision better to write posts about  living artists I admire, rather than staid historical pieces…Tereza ShowcaseI also wrote about her on my other blog, THE GEMS OF CZECH PHOTOGRAPHY