Posedlost - Extrémy a vášně malířské moderny – Mikš František (2018)

Schjerfbeck, Kirchner, Dix, Neuschul, Dwurnik: Obsession - Passions and Extremes in 20th Century Art. Against the backdrop of the 'portraits' of five artistic solitaires, unknown or little reflected in the Czech environment, the book offers a surprising perspective on the development of modern painting in the context of contemporary philosophical concepts and turbulent political events. As the author prefaces, all the chosen creators were consumed by a certain kind of obsession – whether it was the almost Freudian obsession with introspection in Helene Schjerfbeck, the strange mixture of Nietzschean aggressive energy and dark passions in Ernst L. Kirchner and Otto Dix, the uncritical faith in communism in Ernst Neuschul, or the obsessed voyeurism in Edward Dwurnik. All created captivating and fascinating works that disturb with their internal contradictions, works that speak of the human situation in a complex time and in extreme life situations. They are works that reveal many repressed truths and passions, but often also reflect a whole range of contemporary intellectual confusions and ideological delusions. A strong theme, extraordinary fates, and fascinating images in the new book by František Mikš, loosely following his previous works 'Another Modernity' (2013) and 'Red Rooster Picasso' (2015).