Paur Jaroslav 1918–1987

Encounter, 1980

oil on canvas, 41 × 57,5 cm, frame, signed. Bottom right J Paur 80
Lit.: Catalogue of the exhibition. Jaroslav Paur, Bodies and Spaces. Nová síň Prague 1970. Padrta Jiří: Jaroslav Paur. Prague 1964. Padrta Jiří: Jaroslav Paur, Výtvarné umění 1960, No. 3. Authenticated by the author's family. Jaroslav Paur's 1980 painting Encounters is a fitting example of the artist's lifelong fascination with cosmic phenomena and bodies, which corresponded with contemporary space explorations and discoveries that resonated strongly in Czech art from the 1960s onwards. In Paura's painting, built up from many thin layers of glaze like a delicate tissue, the cosmic encounter of two glowing bodies emerging from the darkness appears as a moment of wonder, an unearthly event. In contrast to the precise smoothness of the paintings, Paur contrasts the graphic and plastic structure of the planetary surface or the distant tangle of human terrestrial civilization, intertwining with the cosmic space and forming a backdrop to the cosmic events. By using various painting techniques, materials, textures and glazes, Paur achieved an impressive artistic result in his paintings. J. Paur studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague under Prof. J. Obrovský. In 1946 he became a member of the S.V.U. Mánes.