Ohlasy lidového ducha - Národopisně-mimetické koncepce v poezii a architektuře dlouhého 19. století – Berounský Petr (2025)

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Czech art repeatedly faced the question of what "truly folk" actually means and how to creatively work with this concept. The presented book closely follows the transformations of this search from the beginnings of the national revival, when Herder's ideas and the contemporary European literary practice awakened interest in folk literature and inspired the emergence of so-called echo literature, to the period of the First Republic, during which architects and artists striving to create a national style arrived at synthetic forms led by "round cubism" of Pavel Janák's circle.
The author gradually reveals parallels between the development of literature and visual art - from roots in collecting enthusiasm through mechanical formal imitation to crisis and calls for historical and artistic truthfulness. Attention is paid to disputes over the boundaries of "true" folklore, transformations of ideas about the creative autonomy of folk layers, and the tension between romantic visions of national spirit and a critical view inspired by Hegelian philosophy. The result is an intellectually stimulating story of ideas that have shaped Czech culture throughout the century - from the turbulent years of revival through the exalted atmosphere of the establishment of an independent state to the interwar modernity.