Lenka Merglová Pánková
The Paths of Koula’s Ornament: Folk Motifs in the Used Work of the 19th Century Architect
Two of the most prominent contemporary efforts to elevate the Czech national sense of self-esteem were embodied in the person and in the work of architect Jan Koula (1855-1919): interest in folk art and an effort to revive the Czech renaissance in current artistic efforts.
As a collector, custodian, painter and photographer he studied and documented expressions of patriotism in current or recent times “in order to save them from getting lost and ruined” and concurrently, he analyzed detailed descriptions of artistic and handwork pieces from various materials. The descriptions and analyses of historical techniques and technological processes in the manufacture of ceramics, furniture, decorative architecture and the production of textiles (especially) of the renaissance period forced Koula to examine the roots of the individual ornamental details, which he searched for and documented in current folk works and used them to cultivate his own patriotic art.
design by Bedřich Vémola
