Czech graphic designer, painter and illustrator Karel Svolinský (1896-1986) came from Svatý Kopeček near Olomouc. He trained as a carver and then graduated from the School of Applied Arts in Prague. Svolinský drew mainly from the national folk tradition and the legacy of painters Josef Mánes and Mikoláš Alš. His most famous work in Olomouc is the mosaic decoration of the astronomical clock on the town hall building.
Since the mid-1920s he has exhibited both at home and abroad. In 1928 and 1937 he participated in the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Téchniques in Paris, where his work was awarded a gold medal and the Grand Prix. In the 1950s he represented Czechoslovakia at the Biennale in Venice and at the World Exhibition in Brussels. This was followed by a number of solo exhibitions and international shows, especially in the field of book graphics and illustration. In 1945-1970 he worked as a professor at the Academy of Arts and Crafts in Prague.
Svolinsky’s mosaic on the Olomouc astronomical clock
The Olomouc Astronomical Clock, whose history goes back deep into the past, was badly damaged during the liberation battles in May 1945. Since it has undergone many changes in past eras, the debate about its reconstruction has raised a question mark over which of its earlier forms its planned reconstruction should take. In the end, the view proposing a complete restoration, including technology and artistic decoration, prevailed. The task was undertaken by Karel Svolinský. For several years he had been studying the Haná people, their daily work, folk customs and festive costumes. These elements were used in the designs for the mosaic decoration of the astronomical clock, which Svolinský worked on between 1949 and 1954. In addition to the so-called Ride of the Kings and other folkloric motifs that appeared on the resulting mosaic, the work also reflects the aesthetic foundations of the official current in art at the time – socialist realism.
