By the Cinema (In Front of the Cinema)

Vladimír Silovský

Vladimír Silovský - By the Cinema (In Front of the Cinema)
The print By the Cinema is noteworthy for the detail of the female face and the role played by cinematography. Vladimír Silovský depicted the Fénix movie theatre (now called Blaník) on Wenceslas Square in Prague. He shows the façade of the building with its light sign advertising the film Le Grande Illusion set during World War I. Co-written and directed by Jean Renoir in 1937, the film has a strong antiwar message. The sole female character was played by Dita Parlo whose face dominates the print. Silovský was able to capture an ordinary subject of contemporary life in a cultured and critical mode. He joined the Czech art movement known as Social Realism. Inspiration in film aesthetics had been introduced by Josef Čapek in 1918. Vladimír Silovský, however, exploits the film medium differently. In a fashion bordering on the aesthetic of a roughly indicated advertisement image, he depicts the antithesis between the changing social values and superficial city glamour.
date:
measurements: height 370 mm
width 290 mm
material: paper
technique: drypoint
inscription:
inventory number: R 9224
gallery collection: Collection of Prints and Drawings
licence: copyrighted work

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