Jakub Špaňhel

Jakub Špaňhel is one of the outstanding representatives of contemporary Czech painting. Soon after graduation he confirmed his reputation as an extraordinary talent, which was on display during his studies at the academy in Prague, at several solo exhibitions (City Gallery Prague and the National Gallery in Prague), and at the majority of important group painting shows highlighting his generation (Perfect Tense in the Jízdárna at Prague Castle, permanent exhibition in Wannieck Gallery, etc.). His existing work can be divided into two distinct groups, interlinked through common features such as a tendency to the use of monochrome and the reduction of shapes and forms, and a primary emphasis on the painterly quality. The paintings of the first group are based on the depiction of a particular motif in Špaňhel’s typical gestural style. Apart from the well-known church interiors, there are series of nudes, bouquets, landscapes, portraits and more recently petrol stations and the buildings of central banks in different countries. In all of these cases, Špaňhel presents traditional genres, some of them – nudes, bouquets and church interiors – have not appeared in the iconography of Czech art for decades. The second group of works has a minimalist and serial character, consisting of the mechanical repetition of simple elements using a paint roller with the motifs of “pots”, crosses, beer glasses and sail boats. The Czech and English-language monograph with a knowledgeable text by Jiří Olič captures Špaňhel’s life and work.