Palms on the Vltava. Primitivism, Non-European Cultures, and Czech Fine Art in 1850–1950

The publication focuses attention on a current and as yet unexplored theme: the influence of primitive cultures of sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and America on Czech fine art in 1850–1950. Such links are generally referred to under the term Primitivism. The book focuses not just on particular works of art associated with African, Oceanic, and Native American art, but also on a more general picture of exotic cultures and the numerous associated stereotypes directly connected with colonialism. Primitivism is not merely an aesthetic category; it is evidence of the political, social, and moral aspects of non-European and European cultures. The author draws on contemporary theoretical approaches that allow him to engage in a new and critical interpretation of such phenomena as the participation of Czech explorers, collectors, and artists in colonial discourse, their racial outlooks, and their opinion on cannibalism. The book traces the rise of the concept of the noble savage and its concrete manifestations in artistic and literary works and it also describes the content of the most important collections of Czech art collections located outside Europe.