Exhibition opening - Pictures of a "dynasty of painters"

The opening of the exhibition "From black to color and back" was an international event. The exhibiting artists Jan Samec Sr. and Jan Samec Jr. live in Karlovy Vary and Prague. And the guests came not only from the wider Upper Franconian region but also from as far away as Prague in the Czech Republic. At the invitation of Peter Nürmberger, head of the city's Department of Culture, the exhibition mainly features large-format works (up to 5 m x 1.4 m in size), which find enough space in the foyer of the Festsaal of the Freiheitshalle to be effective and convincing.

In his introduction, curator Martin Dostál explained how father and son differ in their painting style: "The older one (born 1955) believes in the painterly construction of a picture." The combination of reflections from the landscape, also in the form of frottages of found objects such as branches, leaves or stones, with geometric forms creates tension through the civilizing element of the square, a key element of modern art. The square appears as a formative element in the picture itself, but also as the format of the work itself. There are 29 of his paintings on display.

In contrast, Jan Samec jun. (born 1989) takes a much more intuitive approach. He also works abstractly. His paintings are mostly monochrome with expressive gestures and bold brushstrokes. Chance plays a role in their creation. One could almost compare the process of using highly diluted paint to an experiment. Rational reflection takes place in a later phase and leads to expressive paintings (20 can be seen in Hof), which form an interesting contrast to the works of his father.

Of course, the curator did not forget to mention that there was another painter in the previous generation, Jan Samec (1917 - 1988), who achieved prominence as a painter, ceramicist and stage designer; the founder of the dynasty of painters, so to speak.

In her welcoming address to the almost 100 guests, Mayor Angela Bier placed particular emphasis on the now long-standing cooperation between the city's cultural department and Bohemian partners: "We are consciously and actively looking towards our Czech neighbors." The art gallery in Karlovy Vary is represented here, as is the Goller Gallery in Selb with its excellent collection of Czech artists. And music is also a focal point of the German-Czech Jazz Spring. In this context, the mayor emphasized the importance of town twinning and municipal cooperation in these turbulent times.

The exhibition can be seen Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00 and by appointment in the foyer of the festival hall. It is sponsored by Sparkasse Hochfranken.