Zdeněk Sklenář´s (1910 - 1986) graphics developed parallel to his work as a painter. In his early work, he finds inspiration in an inner world of fantasy and poetic images, drawing rich inspiration from French poetry (G. Apollinaire, C. Baudelaire) and commedia dell´arte (the film Children of Paradise).
Significant to Zdeňek Sklenář´s paintings, graphics, and illustrations was his three-month stay in China in 1955 as part of an exhibition of Czech culture in Beijing. During his stay, he dedicated himself to the study of Chinese culture, particularly the Chinese alphabet and its aesthetic and decorative uses. Chinese influences thread through other parts of Sklenář´s work but he gradually leaves behind Chinese themes and weaves landscapes, still lives, and several portraits of Giuseppe Arcimboldo into richly interwoven lines.
Zdeněk Sklenář created a total of 110 graphics. This exhibition displays a selection from each phase of the artist´s work, thus providing an excellent overview of his graphic output.
