Lot 197

Jindra Viková (1946) UNTITLED

Although Jindra Viková is best known to the wider public primarily as a creator of ceramic works, her body of work significantly transcends this field in both scope and expressive means. The motif of facial silhouettes, which brought her fame particularly in the 1980s, reappears at the turn of the millennium, though this time in a more reduced, minimalist form. Structures evoking the softness of touch, delicate nuances, and a contemplative plane of expression are subtly imprinted into the ceramic material. The 1996 sculpture, through its formal design, references the artist’s earlier work, specifically the 1963 piece Tired Man. Here, the motif of the head continues to function as the center of thought and spiritual life, and simultaneously as a means of grasping the complex network of interpersonal relationships that permeates the artist’s work as a unifying thematic thread. Gradually, however, individual features are suppressed—the originally portrait-like character transforms into a generally applicable, universal symbol. The signature and date Viková 96 are located on the inside of the ceramic sculpture.