Vojtěch Kovařík

Vojtech Kovarik’s paintings tackle the figure of the mythical hero who legitimates painting since the Classical Age. He interrogates the other side of the heroes, their intimate torments, and depicts these men (according to most of the stories) regaining their humanity. Kovarik’s large canvases reflect his deep knowledge of art history: schematic figures evoke Pablo Picasso, expressive colors summon Henri Matisse while the work on volume lets us see Fernand Léger’s influence. But his approach to bodies is also deeply influenced by the Soviet sculptures of propaganda he was surrounded by during his childhood in Eastern Europe. By marrying those different types of storytelling, the mythological one, the political propaganda one, the contemporary imagery one, Vojtech Kovarik gives birth to a painting that bears the figurative tradition, yet opening a path for an open-ended future.