Lot 141

František Janoušek (1890 - 1943) MORNING SONG

From the expert opinion of PhDr. Jíří Vykoukal: "The title of the painting under review, Morning Song, is taken from a French-language expert opinion, which was probably prepared in December 1957 by Dr. Vincenc Kramář, then director of the National Gallery in Prague, for the purpose of permitting the painting to be exported abroad. The painting is painted on a thick chalk-glue ground, in densely applied layers of colour without underpainting, in a vigorous, detail-resistant handwriting with a paste applied in relief in places. Morning Song is one of the works that continue the process of Janoušek's gradual rapprochement with Surrealism shortly after his return from an Italian trip in 1929. Morning Song also undeniably belongs to the group of more figurative paintings in its morphology and composition. It is undeniable that it is an important authentic work that contributes significantly to the understanding of the painter's lifelong efforts to assert his own original and independent artistic stance. PhDr. Jiří Hlušička adds in his review, "In summary, perhaps the paintings of this phase of development could be described as a manifestation of a distinctive natural lyricism, which was, however, less and less subject to the concrete form of reality, in favour of a relaxed fantasy. To it are owed the emergence of distinctive, mostly organic novelties, which later increasingly move between human and natural phenomena." 

The painting is accompanied by an expert opinion by PhDr. Jíří Vykoukal, an expert opinion by PhDr. Jiří Hlušička, an expert opinion by Prof. PhDr. Tomáš Vlček CSc., a restoration report by Prof. Karel Stretti ac. mal., a colour analysis and a restoration survey by Martin Martan ac. mal. and the expertise of Dr. Vincenc Kramář.