Editors: Kateřina Kubínová, Pavla Machalíková, Tomáš Winter
Authors: Lenka Bydžovská, Sylva Dobalová, Stanislava Fedrová, Tadeáš Kadlec, Kateřina Kubínová, Martin Mádl, Pavla Machalíková, Mahulena Nešlehová, Lenka Panušková, Milada Studničková, Štěpán Vácha, Tomáš Winter
Since the Middle Ages, the biblical revelation of St. John, known as the Apocalypse, and the visual imagination associated with it have contained two poles. On the one hand, depictions of apocalyptic catastrophes and the destruction of the world implied destruction in a figurative sense, linking the Apocalypse to social crises, upheavals, and the horrors of war. On the other hand, the text culminates on a strongly hopeful note. Apocalyptic visions thus included images of a new world, social renewal, and individual consolation. This book presents a wide range of works inspired by the Book of Revelation from the Middle Ages to the present day. It focuses primarily on works created in the Czech lands, but also pays attention to international works that were present and resonated in this region. In addition to the classical series of illustrated apocalypses (the Karlštejn Apocalypse, Albrecht Dürer) or the contrasting motifs of the Last Judgement and visions of a new world, it traces both poles of the theme as they are reflected in modern and contemporary art (Jan Koblasa, Václav Boštík, Pavel Nešleha, Josef Bolf, etc.). A narrower selection is devoted to the apocalypse in music and literature, represented by the Czech underground culture during the so-called normalization period, in which apocalyptic symbolism played a significant role.
The book is conceived as an accompanying publication to the exhibition of the same name organized by the IAH in the Gallery of West Bohemia in Pilsen (October 2023 - March 2024).
First edition, Czech, colour images, 319 pages, Artefactum 2023 and the Gallery of West Bohemia 2023
ISBN 978-80-88283-84-3
