Ještěd, as a mountain that stands out on the horizon of the entire region, has always been intimately connected with the identity of the local landscape. The volcanic origin, together with the harsh mountain climate, creates an unforgettable combination that has encouraged artists associated with the region, but far from being limited to them, to create art.
Against the backdrop of the Jested silhouette, the life and artistic story of the painters and printmakers who have worked on and with the local landscape unfolds. Before the Second World War, Czech and German artists knew each other, worked side by side and even partly together. The drama of the Second World War creates at first a rigid order, which later covers the post-war chaos. After the Second World War, only Czech artists remained in Liberec and nowadays the theme of the Jested landscape is dealt with by artists who treat the subject with their own distinctive approach.
The exhibition includes works from the earliest 19th century prints to the present day. Among contemporary artists, we will present the work of Jana Kasalová, Jiří Kubovský, Svatopluk Klimes and Jiří Dostál.
The material composition is diverse, from oil paintings to prints to drawings. In cooperation with the Städtischen Museen Zittau, paintings by German artists with whom we share the horizon of this mountain will also be exhibited. The cooperation with the North Bohemian Museum will bring an emphasis on applied art, specifically the earliest photographic postcards and applied graphics of the 19th century. The author of the texts is Peter Knüvener, director of the Zittau Museum, and Anna Dařbujanová, curator of the photography and postcards collection, and Petra Štovíčková, curator of the graphic arts collection, on behalf of the North Bohemian Museum.
