Rostislav Košťál: Fotografie 1963 – 2023 – Košťál Rostislav (2023)

Rostislav Košťál is one of the most prominent Czech photographers of the past half-century, although he has never made a living from photography. He had a stellar start as a member of the group Epos (with J. Horák, F. Maršálek, and P. Sikula), which set the style for Czech staged photography at the beginning of normalization, steeped in an elegiac era. Since 1975, he was a member of another photographic 'super-group' Setkání, where the most prominent figures of poetic photography gathered around Taras Kuščynský. By the late 1970s, Košťál's work completely leaned towards outdoor nudes, gaining increasing dynamism, gradually stripping his models of fixed identities to preserve only outlines, shapes, and blurred impressions, culminating in the series Tempi. Since the 1990s, Košťál has continually returned to photograph in familiar places with new models, celebrating their mutually resonating beauty. This extensive jubilee publication summarizes Košťál's work from its beginnings to the present, accompanied by texts from his companions, friends, and experts, showcasing his lifelong deep interest in the themes of women and landscapes, which have influenced several generations of photographers and viewers.