Databáze uměleckých výstav v českých zemích 1820 – 1950

Umělecká beseda (Artistic Forum) organized the exhibition of paintings by Karel Purkyně to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of Purkyně's death. Purkyně, one of the founding members of the Artistic Forum, was practically forgotten at this time and the exhibition played a significant role in raising awareness of his work. František Xaver Harlas took advantage of the occasion to publish a lengthy essay on Purkyně in the magazine Rozhledy, which serves as Purkyně's first biography and evaluation of his work [Harlas 1898]. Renáta Tyršová provided a modernist perspective on Purkyně's work, describing it as an early attempt by the domestic art scene to break away from the conventions of 19th-century art [Tyršová 1898, p. 657].

In one of his early articles, Jindřich Šámal reviewed available documents related to the exhibition and summarized the basic information [Šámal 1957]. The show was inaugurated with a gala evening at the Artistic Forum’s hall, where Harlas delivered a lecture that was later published in Rozhledy. The works on display likely came from the collection of the Artistic Forum as well as from private collections; calls for artworks were first announced in the press at the beginning of March. On April 5, the Artistic Forum held a commemorative gathering, which included a wreath-laying ceremony at Purkyně's grave in Vyšehrad Cemetery. The exhibition itself was to be open to the public for only a few days. Initially, attendance was low, but interest gradually grew, likely due to newspaper reports encouraging the public to view the works of this painter, who was described in some reviews as interesting and original. However, overall reviews of the exhibition were somewhat sparse, with many critics dismissing Purkyně as a second-rate painter [Čapek-Chod 1898] or characterizing him as an immature, undisciplined artist [Mádl 1898].

The exhibition was likely accompanied by a catalogue (a list of 34 exhibited works), but it has not been found. However, there are photographs taken by Jan Vilím, who was commissioned by the painter Jan Vochoč, a representative of the Artistic Forum responsible for the exhibition [Šámal 1957]. The collection, now housed in the Artistic Forum archive, includes photographs of Purkyně's works along with a photographic portrait of the painter taken by Václav Levý. Other photographs, the originals of which have been lost, offer a view of the exhibition hall where the paintings were installed – they were hung in dense rows. The press noted that the works were unfavourably lit, as they were hanging opposite the windows; according to some reviewers, this lighting accentuated the “thick, unattractively layered colours.” [Anonymous author 1898] Such judgments clearly echoed the long-standing view, first expressed by Jan Neruda in the 1860s, that Purkyně's work was characterized by “course mannerism”, as Neruda put it.

The exhibition was extensive and even broader in scope than Purkyně’s solo exhibition in 1925. It generated significant interest in his work; after the turn of the century, artists such as Miloš Jiránek and Emil Filla began studying Purkyně’s paintings. The new generation of artists and critics reinterpreted Purkyně’s style from a modernist perspective, arguing that the often-cited technical and artistic imperfections were, in fact, his strongest point, and that Purkyně was an exceptional colourist.

Pavla Machalíková

Works Cited

Mádl 1898: [Karel Boromejský Mádl], Výstava Purkyňova, Česká revue I, 1897–1898, no. 9, 10. 6., pp. 1133–1135

Šámal 1957: Jindřich Šámal, Podobizna Jana Evangelisty Purkyně. K výstavě prací Karla Purkyně v Umělecké besedě roku 1898, Umění V, 1957, pp. 378–380

Volavka 1940: Vojtěch Volavka, Úvodem, in: Galerie Umělecké besedy. Obrazy, plastiky a kresby českých mistrů 19. století (exh. cat., Umělecká beseda), Praha 1940, pp. 7–9

Anonymous author 1898: Anonymous author, Výstava Karla Purkyně, Radikální listy V, 1898, no. 35, 30. 4., p. 238

Archival Sources

LA PNP, fonds Umělecká beseda, box A 59 (fotografie [photographs])

Anonymous author, Rozhled, Hlídka XV, 1898, no. 6, p. 481

Anonymous author, Památce Karla Purkyně, Národní listy XXXVIII, 1898, no. 72, 13. 3., p. 4

Anonymous author, Památce Karla Purkyně, Národní listy XXXVIII, 1898, no. 110, 21. 4., p. 3

Anonymous author, Umělecká beseda v Praze, Národní listy XXXVIII, 1898, no. 336, 6. 12., p. 2

Anonymous author, Umělecká beseda, Národní listy XXXVIII, 1898, no. 112, odpolední vydání, 23. 4., p. 4

Anonymous author, Výstava děl Karla Purkyně, Národní listy XXXVIII, 1898, no. 120, 1. 5., p. 4

Anonymous author, Z Umělecké besedy, Národní listy XXXVIII, 1898, no. 93, 3. 4., p. 3

Anonymous author, Umělecká beseda, Národní listy XXXVIII, 1898, no. 95, 5. 4., p. 3

Anonymous author, Výroční den úmrtí českého malíře K. Purkyně, Národní politika XVI, 1898, no. 72, 13. 3., p. 4

Anonymous author, Umělecká beseda, Národní politika XVI, 1898, no. 95, 5. 4., p. 4.

Anonymous author, Umělecká beseda, Národní politika XVI, 1898, no. 112, 23. 4., p. 2

Anonymous author, Z Besedy umělecké, Národní politika XVI, 1898, no. 120, 1. 5., p. 5

Anonymous author, Pražská umělecká beseda, Plzeňské listy XXXIV, 1898, no. 50, 26. 4., p. 3

Anonymous author, Umělecká beseda, Hlas národa XIII, 1898, no. 95, 5. 4., [p. 3]

Anonymous author, Výstava Purkyňových děl, Hlas národa XIII, 1898, no. 114, 25. 4., [p. 2]