Antonín Slavíček (1870 - 1910) LANDSCAPE NEAR OLDŘICHOVEC

From the expert opinion of Prof. PhDr. Petr Wittlich CSc.: "The painting originates from Slavíček's summer stay in Oldřichovec in southern Bohemia in 1908. Its main motif is a well-trodden crossroads of dirt roads climbing up to a hill on the horizon. This motif is repeated in other paintings from Oldřichovec and becomes the main thematic motif of Slavíček's landscape paintings from the last years of his life. It was in 1908, after painting large panoramas of Prague, that Slavíček underwent an ideological transformation, expressing in his letters that he wanted to paint "historical" landscapes. This is also reflected in his art, as he toned down the stylistic bravura of his previous Impressionist period and sought to give his paintings deeper meaning. The motif of a road rising to the horizon is a clear symbol of this program."