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Vincent Hložník: Between War and Dream

This exhibition features 20 Surrealist-inspired linocut prints by Slovak artist Vincent Hložník (1919–1997) created in Czechoslovakia in 1962. They represent a turning point in the artist's career as his figurative motifs—always related to the exploration of the human condition—began to take on more symbolic and metaphorical meanings.

In the dystopic universe of the prints, detached human limbs, tangled corpses, monstrous figures assembled from eyes and teeth, the Angel of Death, and threatening flanks of silhouetted and stylized archaic warriors signal unspecified danger. Angles and voids activate the space and create an instability marking the very real threat of annihilation, whether from war or nuclear arms. Hložník's approach to art was profoundly affected by his time as a student in Prague during World War II where he witnessed Nazi atrocities. This experience led him to address themes of war, isolation and human suffering in his work.
Relevant research areas: Eastern Europe, 20th Century, Relief printing
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