Events

Dreams and Disillusions: Karel Teige and the Czech Avant-Garde

<p>Rhythm (Jiri Lehovec, 1941)</p>

When:
Friday, November 30, 2001, 8:00pm - 8:00pm
Description:
In conjunction with The Smart Museum's exhibit on Karel Tiege. A leading figure of the avant-garde of the 1920s and 1930s, Karel Teige (1900-1951) produced paintings, collages, photomontages, book covers, and film scripts throughout his career. Teige also edited some of the most influential avant-garde journals on Czech and international cultural affairs and wrote profoundly original books and essays on art and architecture. This exhibition covered the entire range of Teige's varied and influential career, from 1920 until his untimely death in 1951, and included items never before displayed outside Europe. Films include: Rendevous at the Mill / Dostavenicko ve mlynici (Jan Krizenecky, 1898, silent, 2 min.) Krizenecki was the creator not only of the first Czech films but the first films anywhere in the Austo-Hungarian Empire. Aimless Walk / Bezucelna prochazka (Alexander Hackenschmied, a.k.a. Sasha Hammid 1930, silent, 7 min.) First-person study of a young man who sets out for a distant Prague suburb - a visual essay on loneliness in the modern city. Prague Shining in the Lights / Praha v zari svetel (Svatopluk Innemann,1928, silent, 26 min.) This document of Prague's nightlife is a celebration of urbanity powered by electric light. Prague Castle / Na Prazskem hrade (Alexander Hackenschmied, 1932, 12 min.) Impressions of the soaring Gothic forms of St. Vitus Cathedral are the music of Frantisek Bartos. Black-and-White Rhapsody / Cernobila rapsodie (Martin Fric, 1936, 3 min.) This quick outdoor frolic involves pairs of women in duotone costumes. Shot as a promotion for Fric's daughter's dance company. The Highway Sings / Silnice zpiva (Elmar Klos, 1937, 4 min.[camera, Alexander Hackenschmied]) In this commercial for Bata tires, we see the playfulness and ingenuity brought to advertising by the avant-garde. Awarded first prize at the 1937 Paris Exhibition. The Magic Eye / Divotvorne oko (Jiri Lehovec, 1939, 10 min.) Lehovec's extreme close-ups allow his Freudian vision to unveil hidden connections between commonplace objects. Rhythm / Rytmus (Jiri Lehovec, 1941, 12 min.) Divided into four parts, Rhythm explores, illustrates, and synthesizes the oldest and most contemporary methods of visually representing musical perception.
Sponsored by Smart Museum