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November Issue 2004
HoFP Gallery in Columbia, SC, Features Works by Jiri Salaba
The
HoFP Gallery in Columbia, SC, will present an exhibition of contemporary
oil paintings entitled, Ethereal Visions, featuring works
by Jiri Salaba, a recognized artist from the Czech Republic. The
exhibition will be on view through Nov. 9, 2004. It will be an
exclusive opportunity for the public to view new works by this
highly regarded artist from the Czech Republic.
Ethereal Visions is Salaba's first US show and the latest of his more than forty one-man shows in France, Germany, to Denmark, Sweden, Holland, and Japan (in addition to those in his homeland). This exhibit features 26 original oil paintings that display a bright, rich use of color that celebrates subtle nuances of both lighting and form. Although many public spheres are used as backdrops for Salaba's subjects, his focus is directed at people and landscapes.
Salaba's works are largely figurative, employing loose, expressionistic brush strokes. Outstanding Czech painter Vladimír Komárek, has said of Salaba "He is a type of painter who does not intend to solve psychological problems, who mainly enjoys colors and shapes, and emphasizes brush strokes. One may see a silver haze around painted objects and people in his canvases; it makes an exceptional atmosphere and magic."
Salaba often employs recurring motifs in his work which serve as agents through which he explores color, form, and texture. One particular theme is birds in flight- captured in a unique, frozen moment (which calls back to early studies conducted while attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, on the effects of different lighting). He often depicts women in his work who are very sensual and glow with an inner-radiance, which is very close to his personal conviction that all women possess an effortless, sensual grace and innate beauty.
Frequently, in Salaba's work, figures and objects are tenuously balanced in compositions that occupy, and in some pieces, emerge from large areas of negative space; the artist clearly defines what elements he would like the viewer to see in his compositions, even when certain aspects of his works may appear obscured. His latest works feature a much more vibrant palette than previous works. Some of his new pieces strive to completely saturate the entire canvas with flashes of color. Included in this exhibition are works that explore each of the four seasons; while others range from subjects that are light and whimsical to those that emanate a passionate intensity. While remaining true to his own expressionistic style of figurative painting, he has developed a more earnest use of color in his works. Emil Filla's belief that "the painting should be a celebration for the eye" could not be more expressed than in Salaba's work.
Born Mar. 31, 1947 in Semily, from ages 25 31, Salaba attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in the studio of landscape and figurative painting, from which he graduated in 1978. He learned much stylistically from works by Jiroudek; and drew inspiration by late impressionistic paintings of Bonnard. Since his first show in 1979, he has worked as a free lance artist in his hometown. Salaba has done artistic work for the Munich based company Radetsky und Mörtel Gemölde Ferlag. He has had over 40 collective exhibitions in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, France and Germany.
Salaba has participated in: IXth International
Biennial of Painting, Slovakia; Czechoslovak Art in Strasbourg,
France; Hajdúsági Nemzetközi Müvésztelep,
Hungary; and the Days of Czech Culture, Copenhagen. He has also
had one man shows in Germany, Olomouc, Perov, Praha, Olomouc,
Pardubice and Semily.
For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings,
call the gallery at 803/799-7405, e-mail at (info@hofpgallery.com)
or at (www.hofpgallery.com).
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