Lot 164

Josef Fořtl (1942 - 2021) TRIPTYCH

Josef Fořtl was an industrial artist and designer who left behind more than 50 paintings. The featured paintings are from the 1960s. At that time, he chose a surrealist method of chaining ideas for the subjects of his works. The objects depicted are not, however, a free flow of associations, which is typical of many painters claiming surrealism in its heyday (1930s). Their selection is purposeful; they are the building material for expressing thoughts, emotions and reflections on various themes. The triptych Chained Fear, Pulsating Tissue and Oppressive Silence express emotions that every living being sometimes feels. For humans, it is the fear of illness, of death, or of a difficult decision. Fear can also be collective, fear of war or other catastrophe. The image Fear Unchained expresses the necessity to resist fear, not to allow it to take over us. The rabbits in the painting Pulsating Tissue draw attention to the limited time of existence of all living things. The image of Oppressive Silence expresses the oppression that overwhelms a person in moments of difficult decisions. Inspired by the famous Norwegian painter Edvard Mucha's painting depicting terror and despair through screams (the painting The Scream), the artist attempted to express a similar emotion by depicting silence in the opposite way.