Detail Close-Up Enlargement

Detail, Close-Up, Enlargement.

Photography of Art Works in Interwar Czechoslovakia

Hana Buddeus

Works of art, art historical texts, and the photographs illustrating them are shaped by the context of the period in which they were created. Surviving photographs and published reproductions of artworks from the interwar period reveal an unusual interest in detail for that time. Through selected examples, the exhibition and publication demonstrate that the motivations for using detail could vary. According to Emil Filla, editor-in-chief of Volné směry, and his manifesto article The Work of the Eye, the frequent use of photographic detail was also driven by an effort to change the viewing habits of the audience. In the journal, this intention materialized thanks to long-term collaboration with the photographer Josef Sudek. Examples from photographic campaigns conducted by Jan Štenc’s company, as well as the project Documenta Bohemia Artis Phototypica by Karel Šourek, Alexandr Paul, and František Illek, further demonstrate that photographic detail was used to depict the structure and texture of artworks, to bring otherwise distant works closer, and for purposes of comparison.

Prague: Artefactum 2026

ISBN 978-80-53018-26-5 (PDF version)

Online publication is distributed under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International