Veronika Holcová

Veronika Holcová is a person with an extraordinary imagination. She is intuitively balancing between reality and fantasy. The world of intuition and imagination has no fixed boundaries, so her artworks allow free interpretation. Her personal life, intimate feelings, experiences, visions and dreams are projected to all of them. Her work is developing in two basic lines- drawing and painting.

The drawings collection is greatly extensive. It is being created from 1997 until today. The drawings serve as subjective diary records that do not describe everyday events, but rather reflect her current state of mind. They mirror a wide range of emotions and draw inspiration from subconscious processes that often have the character of erotic fantasies. They surprise the viewers with rich associations that are unprecedented in current drawing. Chamber drawings alternate with images of large formats.

The paintings are poetic and fragile, located on the border between painting and brush drawing. They combine the freedom of randomly formed stains with elaborate details. They are being created gradually, as a result of a long process and intensive concentration. The painter likes to layer colours in subtle glazes, by which she achieves impressive colour nuances. A typical feature of her brushwork is playing with colour and light. Light apertures are glowing in the middle of dark areas; the view is oriented toward the horizon and far beyond it into space, which evokes the impression of depth, but also intensive feelings of desire for personal freedom.

Veronika Holcová depicts mainly landscapes that are well-know at the first glance and really exist or resemble real places. They appears to be meditative, dreamy and a little disrupting because they are concealing a special mystery. Entering these landscapes means to embark on an adventurous journey to discover the artist’s inner world and activate the limits of one’s own imagination. Along the way you can Listen to The Silence, experience The Dream, see The Reflection of the Sun, feel The Gravity, watch The Eclipse, meet the prehistoric Pilgrim, turn into The Reader of Murakami, hear The Echo, catch a glimpse of The Heavenly Body, sense The Stardust, but also see what does it take to make The Right Choice or to get into places from which There is No Escape. Sometimes landscapes remain uninhabited and intentionally unfinished - the blank space symbolizes the universe. Human or animal beings originating from the present time or distant past often appear in the landscape. The painter sometimes plays with the proportions; tiny human figures are almost lost in the middle of the monumental scenery around them. The primary intention is not to accurately display the visible reality, but to express its essence. The depiction of the landscape gains metaphysical overlap.

The above mentioned approach is close to the Taoist way of thinking and the concept of traditional Chinese painting. The relation, however, is involuntary and unintentional. The author finds the inspiration in the paintings of the old masters, as well as in the works of Caspar David Friedrich, Balthus and others. She distinctively follows the Czech surrealist tradition, especially the work of Toyen, to whom she is often being compared. She uses these impulses in a new way, the paintings acquire a modern meaning, they express the feelings and opinions of a contemporary man, they are depicting a dream with Freudian subtext. She also contributed to the restoration of the tradition of combining fine arts with literature. During the years 2010 – 2011, together with a Czech poet Petr Borkovec, she organized a series of evenings in Švestka Gallery called the Literary Inclinations, during which Czech authors introduced their favourite works of art. That is where the idea to publish an artistic and literary book featuring texts from five writers who freely interpret her drawings emerged. The unconventional publication entitled Within Arm's Reach is ready for release.

Illustrations:

Jiří Veselský, Luna je za vlakem poslední nárazník, Trigon, 2003

Kateřina Klaricová, Pohádky pro pana Izru, Baobab, 2001

Misprimares 80 000 palabras, Media Vaca, Libros para ninos, 2002

P. Vaňous, Resetting/ Jiné cesty k věcnosti/ Alternative Ways To Objektivity (katalog výstavy), GHMP - Městská knihovna, 21. 12. 2007 - 23. 3. 2008, nestr., Praha 2008

P. Vaňous: Galerie, A2 kulturní týdeník, 21/ 2008, s. 26-27

Protivanská L. - Buláková M.: Kde se dělá umění, Magazín DNES, 5. 6. - 12. 6. 2008, s. 24