Wry Tenderness of Naděžda Plíšková

This monograph makes an essential and exceptionally sensitive contribution to reflections on Czech post-war art. Naděžda Plíšková, an artist, graphic designer, poet and member of an underground circle, finally emerges from the shadow of the more famous figures who dominated her life. Under the erudite curatorial guidance of Jana Farkašová Hájková, a vivid and deeply human portrait has emerged of a woman whose work oscillated between humour, melancholy and ruthless precision.

The book sensitively brings together a selection of key works, quotations from personal texts and poems, period photographs and an overview of exhibitions, all supplemented by curatorial commentary that gives Plíšková a voice without overshadowing it with interpretation. Jana Farkašová Hájková's text alone draws you into the full bitterness of Plíšková's life with ease and authenticity, as if you knew her personally and not just from the occasional vernissage. The book concludes with an interview with her daughter, Karolína Neprašová Kračková. This publication also makes a fundamental contribution to the history of women's art in Central Europe. It demonstrates how it is possible to quietly and privately create something that will outlast noise and oblivion. It demonstrates how it is possible to find distance, even in pain, and sometimes even laughter. It maps her life story and provides a comprehensive insight into the work of an author whose influence will soon be felt.

This monograph makes an essential and exceptionally sensitive contribution to reflections on Czech post-war art. Naděžda Plíšková, an artist, graphic designer, poet and member of an underground circle, finally emerges from the shadow of the more famous figures who dominated her life. Under the erudite curatorial guidance of Jana Farkašová Hájková, a vivid and deeply human portrait has emerged of a woman whose work oscillated between humour, melancholy and ruthless precision.

The book sensitively brings together a selection of key works, quotations from personal texts and poems, period photographs and an overview of exhibitions, all supplemented by curatorial commentary that gives Plíšková a voice without overshadowing it with interpretation. Jana Farkašová Hájková's text alone draws you into the full bitterness of Plíšková's life with ease and authenticity, as if you knew her personally and not just from the occasional vernissage. The book concludes with an interview with her daughter, Karolína Neprašová Kračková. This publication also makes a fundamental contribution to the history of women's art in Central Europe. It demonstrates how it is possible to quietly and privately create something that will outlast noise and oblivion. It demonstrates how it is possible to find distance, even in pain, and sometimes even laughter. It maps her life story and provides a comprehensive insight into the work of an author whose influence will soon be felt.