Denim da Vinci opens exhibition
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Most parents would be surprised to hear that some mothers and fathers may soon be encouraging their children to cut up their jeans and paint on them. That shock will subside however, after they view the latest work of František Matoušek – the artist creating masterpieces on his old levis.
The latest exhibition at Prague’s Dox gallery is called “De Nîmes,” and introduces the instantly recognisable work of Czech artist František Matoušek. All of his painting takes place on different varieties of denim.
“My use of denim is connected to my childhood and growing up under the so-called socialist system. I was yearning for freedom and the free world. For me, jeans, jean jackets and so on symbolized America,” Matoušek told Euranet.
He frequently uses images of New York to highlight his transition from a communist background to his current existence. Speaking about his first visit to the big apple he said, “New York was a vision of something that didn’t exist. There was no New York for us, or for me, when I was young, in the 1980s. When I first visited there, I was almost overwhelmed by how great New York it is. It was beyond my imagination.”
Matoušek’s painting style is quite difficult to describe. He uses mostly acrylic paint and works with the texture of the fabric to create his images. Often, his painting style is reminiscent of the impressionists. With a few dots, he manages to create skylines and landscapes that are instantly recognizable as such. But for other paintings, he chooses a style that is much more clear-cut and high contrast.
The exhibition at the Dox gallery is his first despite his growing reputation as one of the most innovative and influential painters of his generation.
