The Spirit of Place
Jiří Jílek Gallery in Šumperk
2015
curator © Miroslav Koval
The perfect chiaroscuro (here, perhaps, light emerging from darkness) stems from the inner glow of a delicate range of shades and the richness of the print colors. With its almost photographic precision, it is reminiscent of the forest photographs of Bohumír Prokůpek (1954-2008), more a painter than a photographer, or even the photo-thickets of Petr Zinke (*1966), which are indistinguishable in their graphic conception.
The sharp engraving, focused on tree branches, represents the forest in its entirety. The seen and the dreamt intertwine and merge into one. Lenka herself mentions her dreamlike empathy with the motif. Despite the faithful representation of the subject, she is not concerned with descriptiveness. She aims for the borderline of hidden corners of consciousness. In some places, it evokes anxiety and the unease of Váchal's visions, Munch's paintings, or rather Trakl's "soft veiling of the mind." In a state of self-forgetfulness (in concentrated coexistence and identification with the motif), however, an infinite space of freedom opens up to her during the drawing process. And resting in the soft silence of the purifying solitude of the forest leads her to the core, to the center, to the soul of nature in its pure transparency.
The first thing that comes to mind are the aquatints by Jitka Chrištofová (*1977), a graduate of Vladimír Kokolia's studio. The mutual proximity is obvious here. Jitka's position is more objective, and the living forest tissue is silently reflected in it. Lenka's is noticeably more epic; we sense a story hidden behind the image. It is its expectation. A joint exhibition would be excellent, and they would certainly understand each other.
Lenka's choice to study under the civilly restrained Jiří Lindovský and Dalibor Smutný, with his almost portrait-like flowers from the night garden, is also a happy one. The subconscious influence and obvious moral support of both are beneficial to her. It gives her confidence, leads to humility and perseverance in her respect for the craft. This makes it easier for her to resist the pressure of current short-lived global trends.
Encountering Lenka's testimony and her direction into the depths is a joy. It reaffirms that nothing disappears, that it returns with new life and persists despite all doubts. That boredom is only an inner emptiness and that reality is inexhaustible.
