The job of a choreographer is to design movement sequences for various purposes – it can be a theatrical performance, a musical performance, or even a film scene. However, most of us have the concept of choreography/choreographer associated with dance, whether it is ballet, folk dance, or contemporary dance – there are many dance genres and techniques, and being able to create the concept and composition of a dance requires, like any artistic discipline, considerable talent. And it is to such gifted people that today is dedicated.

And how else to commemorate this holiday than with a painting with the thematic title Dance. Its author is the Czech painter, graphic artist and illustrator Zdeněk Sklenář (April 15, 1910, Leština – April 19, 1986, Prague), a graduate of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. He first studied with Professor Arnošt Hofbauer, but in 1935–1937 he interrupted his studies for mandatory military service. He then completed his studies in 1939 in the studio of Zdeněk Kratochvíl. In 1945, he joined the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design as an assistant in the studio of František Muzika, from where he had to leave in 1950. His work was fundamentally influenced by a stay of several months in China in 1955, where he traveled as the main graphic designer of a traveling exhibition on Czechoslovak culture. In addition, he also visited Paris several times, and also visited Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, Poland, England and Hungary. In 1968, he returned to the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design. First as an assistant professor, later he was appointed professor and after the death of Jiří Trnka, he became head of the studio of illustration and applied graphics. He ended his teaching career in 1976 and devoted himself to writing his memoirs.

Sklenář's work was more of a solitaire. He found inspiration in Rudolfinian mannerism (Giuseppe Arcimboldo), Art Nouveau ornamentation, and surrealism. After the aforementioned trip to China, oriental calligraphy came to the forefront of his interest. He is also the author of numerous book illustrations, for which he received numerous awards in our country and abroad.

Jana Jarošová, January 9, 2025