František Drtikol (1883–1961) was the first Czech photographer of international importance. The best known of his many works are the nudes, whose originality, artistry, profundity, and technical mastery remain remarkable. Apart from the portraits, the nudes were the main subjekt of Drtikol’s oeuvre. He concentrated on them systematically beginning in 1907, when he opened his first studio in Pfiíbram near Prague.
Drtikol’s first nudes were strongly influenced by Art Nouveau and Symbolism. Under the growing influence of avant-garde photography, Drtikol’s style changed radically about 1923. Naked bodies were no longer conceived as mere receptacles for the soul, but as forms bearing aesthetic signifikance. Geometrical decoration and projected shadows substituted for painted backgrounds, and dreaming models gave way to dancers. The dynamics of composition were intensified; lighting and movement came to play an increasingly important role in his work. Drtikol created the illusion of movement in a number of photographs showing legs stepping forward, and often added to them crossed ropes, long, thick bars and pronounced shadows. These effects were highlighted by the slanted platforms on which the models stood or lay. The erotic assumed an increasingly important role in his nudes, showing the naked body with surprising naturalness and beauty. He gave up photography in 1935 to devote his time to meditation, the study of spiritual sciences and the translation of texts related to Buddhism.
Modernist Nudes, 1923-1929
PHotoEspaña 2013
June 6 – July 28, 2013
Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
Calcografía Nacional
Madrid
Spain
