Karel Škréta 1610—1674 His Work and Era

Vít Vlnas, Poussin sobě nepodobný.

Dějiny a současnost, 2009, No. 10, p. 12.

Štěpán Vácha, Šlechtické kaple v kostele Panny Marie ve Staré Boleslavi.

Oltářní výzdoba a fundace v 17. století, Umění 58, 2010, pp. 17–41.

Jana Zapletalová, Karel Škréta.

Poznámky z italských archivů, Umění 58, 2010, pp. 152–158

Lenka Stolárová, Marcela Vondráčková, Záhadný pan Bramberger.

Příběh Škrétova obrazu, Dějiny a současnost, 2010, No. 8, p. 12.

Lucie Kudělová, Popis města Padovy z počátku 18. století.

Edice a komentář, Sborník Národního muzea v Praze, řada C – Literární historie 55/2010, pp. 1–2.

Lenka Stolárová, Vít Vlnas. Karel Škréta 2010 aneb příběh uměleckého úspěchu.

Art & Antiques, December 2010, pp. 10–17. ISSN 1213–8398

Olga Fejtová, Malíř českého baroka a jeho českobratrské kořeny.

Umění 59, 2011, pp. 57–59.

Lenka Stolárová, Vít Vlnas. Karel Škréta.

Xantypa, April 2011, pp. 86–88. ISSN 1211–7587

Petra Oulíková, Virtuózní malíř a vzdělanec.

Dějiny a současnost XXXIII, 2011, no. 5, pp. 20–21.

Štěpán Vácha, An unknown work by Francesco Cozza: The altarpiece of the Purification of the Virgin in the church of Our Lady in Stará Boleslav (Czech Republic).

The Burlington Magazine, August 2011.

Karel Škréta (1610–1674): His Work and His Era

Lenka Stolárová – Vít Vlnas (eds.)

This extensive catalogue, for the exhibition of the same name being held to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Škréta’s birth, surveys and revises our knowledge to date in regard to the artist’s time, critically reassessing and presenting the broadest possible scope of new findings. The main contribution of the book is to cast new light on the issue of Early Baroque painting in Bohemia as well as in Central Europe as a whole, stressing its Italian points of origin. Respective chapters introduce Karel Škréta as an eminent painter, draughtsman, and designer of prints; his collection of books and manuscripts reveals him to be a learned man of culture; an overview of historical documents related to the artist present him as an active and successful entrepreneur of the era following the Battle of the White Mountain and naturally also as the object of artistic and national veneration in the centuries following his death. Separate sections are also dedicated to Karel Škréta the Younger, and to issues of Karel Škréta’s workshop and his followers, as well as period architecture, urban planning, and Early Baroque sculpture.

Karel Škréta (1610–1674): Studies and Documents

Lenka Stolárová – Vít Vlnas (eds.)

The monograph presents the artist’s creative output, as well historical sources testifying to Škréta as an artist, his work and his era. The individual articles in this volume further expound and evaluate the new findings arrived at in the course of the comprehensive interdisciplinary project Karel Škréta (1610–1674): His Work and His Era and the preparation by experts in the field of an exhibition of the same name. The findings are based on the conclusions reached during the contemporary Škréta-themed scholarly investigation centred on systematic archival and history research. Representative technical-technological and restoration investigation formed an important part of the research project, which occasionally brought essential, and at times even surprising, information about the variable nature of 17th-century paintings in relation to the patrons who commissioned the work and the type of commission. Irrespective of the importance and relevance of the artistic merit of Karel Škréta as an individual painter, he can no longer be assessed and interpreted as a solitary genius who had arrived in a burnt land and whose monuntal work gradually filled the entire space of a hypothetical timeless historical period and a cultural vacuum. Recent research has indicated that the numerous questions concerning the “Bohemian Apelles” cannot be answered without devoting attention to the large number of individuals who filled Škréta’s life: not only contemporary artists abroad and at home, but also members of his family, his patrons and commissioners of art, as well as collectors and a broad and variagated social spectrum, in which the artist lived and worked with admirable perseverance and possibly also a strictly formulated career strategy. This is why a substantial part of the volume contains an edition of archival resources. Archival research constituted the basic desideratum of Škréta-themed investigation: all art-historical volumes published in the 20th century were based on research conducted in the 19th century. Contemporary research has helped to trace Karel Škréta’s family background and personal relationships. A contribution of paramount importance are the discovered fragments of the Škréta family correspondence in archives in other countries, which have made it possible to reconstruct the itinerary of Škréta’s journey to Italy, and his years as an apprentice and journeyman after he left abroad; all the more so as his biography prior to the year 1638 had numerous white spots and hypotheses deriving from those unknown facts. Of equal importance were also the findings made through the newly-studied sources of domestic provenance, whether concerning the agenda of the brotherhood of painters, or – and especially so – the official records regarding Škréta’s property disputes, financial transactions and art commissions.

More details (PDF)

Karel Škréta a malířství 17. století v Čechách a v Evropě

Proceedings from the colloquium

Who Was Karel Škréta? A Guide for Inquisitive Children and Playful Adults

Hana Havlůjová – Lenka Stolárová – Vít Vlnas

A guide to both parts of the exhibition Karel Škréta (1610–1674): His Work and His Era, to be held at the Wallenstein Riding School and the Prague Castle Riding School respectively. Reflecting the scope of the most extensive retrospective exhibition to date dedicated to this prominent figure of the 17th century Central European art scene, the guide unfolds from various perspectives the colourful story of the artist’s life, illustrated by more than four hundred images and historical documents, as well as presenting the findings of the most recent research into his work, life and era.

Karel Škréta (1610–1674): Doba a dílo – a documentary film

A DVD featuring an original documentary film mapping the research project over an extended period of time. Directed by Naďa Kverková, the film presents all aspects of the research project that includes historical, art-historical, technological and restoration activities. The documentary is focussed on the complex and demanding work of art restorers during the technological investigation of paintings and also shows the various places where Karel Škréta had lived. Interviews with art restorers, curators and employees of the National Gallery’s Archives are an interesting bonus for every viewer.

A digital guide for young people

This interactive digital guide is a technical novelty as this medium, intended chiefly for pilot schools, is introduced for the first time in Czech galleries and museums.

How does the guide work? Each students is given an electronic device with a screen that shows selected paintings from the exhibition. Some works of art come to life through animation, while in other images only certain details appear. The students are expected to answer questions or solve riddles. This noteworthy enrichment of school programmes that combines the perception of old art with new media is not supposed to distract the young viewer from the original masterpiece. Quite to the contrary, the meaning of the painting is elucidated using modern forms of communication. The guide was prepared by the Education Department of the Collection of Old Masters, in collaboration with the company NetServis s.r.o.

Open reference database

The presentation of the main research findings in the areas of history, art history and technological investigation, accessible on the internet, offers the general public a summary of the latest findings and research on Karel Škréta as a painter, on his work and his era. The individual entries present all of Škréta’s most outstanding works, as well as artists and paintings of his predecessors, contemporaries and followers. Furthermore, the database provides basic terms in the field of art history, a historical background, period documents and publications about the work of Karel Škréta, written to date. Structured along the lines of Wikipedia, the entries can be combined so as to enable visitors easy and rapid orientation. The entries were authored by members of the project’s sci­entific team, i.e. leading experts on the subject in the Czech Republic. The database will be upkept and expanded for at least the next ten years.

Karel Škréta and 17th Century Painting in Bohemia and Europe / Karel Škréta a malířství 17. století v Čechách a v Evropě

Colloquium, Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia March 23–24, 2010

Karel Škréta (1610–1674): His Work and His Era / Karel Škréta (1610–1674): Doba a dílo

International scientific conference, Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia March 29–31, 2011