Artist of the Day, November 21, 2020: Eduard Ovčáček, a Czech graphic artist, sculptor, typographer, (#1152)

Eduard Ovčáček (1933) is a Czech graphic artist, sculptor, typographer, painter and professor at the University of Ostrava. His main artistic focus is put on classical graphic art, visual and concrete poetry, serigraphic art (screen-print), collage, lettrist photography, evenements and installations, structural and digital graphic art. Paintings, sculptures and geometrical objects fall within his interest as well.

Ovčáček was born in Czechoslovakia. Between 1957 and 1963 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava (Slovakia) under professor Peter Matejka. He also studied at Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. Already at that time he was strongly involved in graphic art and started to use it in order to express his own artistic potential. Together with Miloš Urbásek, friend and fellow artist, Ovčáček founded, in 1960, an independent group of artists called "Konfrontace". This artistic group explored and dealt with informel, one of the then attractive form of abstract art. From the beginning of the 1960s, Ovčáček kept close contacts with Polish artists, those contacts continued even after the occupation of the Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw pact forces in 1968. He established very friendly relations especially with Marian Bogusz, the principal protagonist of Polish art scene of that period, as well as with his friends. He also kept contacts with similarly oriented artists from other countries.

In 1967 Ovčáček co-founded the Club of Concretists. After that, he commenced to devote himself intensively to the serigraphic art, that being then popular especially in United States (pop-art and op-art). His serigraphic works often contain and mix classical scripture, once-and-future signs and human, often very erotic and suggestive, figures.

Ovčáček criticised strongly the occupation of the Czechoslovakia in 1968. He took part in a lot of dissident and illegal activities. His series Lesson by Great A was created immediately after the invasion of Warsaw Pact armed forces to Prague, in the moment when the censorship has not yet been firmly re-established. This series of artworks thus had the chance to be published in Czechoslovak magazine "Literární listy" and in some other periodicals in the Czechoslovakia and abroad. Also, similarly to e.g. the former Czechoslovak and Czech president Václav Havel, Eduard Ovčáček is one of the signatories of Charter 77.

At the end of 20th century Ovčáček organised installations and evenements with burning ropes. Currently he is focused on, examines and improves the possibilities of use of digital technology in serigraphy. Sometimes he exploits his own older themes that he had already applied under another technique earlier.

Eduard Ovčáček participated in lot of international exhibitions and symposia (for example I. International plein air in Osieki (Poland) in 1963 and II. Biennale form przestrzennych – Elbląg (Poland) in 1967). Also, he is the founder of the serigraphic workshops (Ostrava university, first workshop in 1997).

His favourite number is "3", i.e. the number prevailing in his date of birth. Ovčáček uses this number very often and in various formats and shapes in his artworks, e.g.: serigraphs 333 B or Trojky (2007) or oil on canvas 333 (1968).

Eduard Ovčáček works as professor at the College of Arts of Ostrawa University (Czech Republic) and keeps contacts with academic fellows namely in Slovakia and Poland (above all, universities in Katowice, Kraków and Łódź).

© 2020. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Eduard Ovčáček. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only

Mr. Eduard Ovčáček

1962, Abstract study

1962, Untitled

1964, Skriptura III

1966, Novin matrice malba

1968, Big Brother

1968, Monotype

1968, Red trees

1969, Čtverce

1969, Mono-zet

1973, Interference III

1975,  F.

1979 Hommage á K.M.

1979, 333

1979, Člověk a znak

1979, Hommage á K.M. #2

1979, Odposlouchávače

1979, On-Off-3

1979, Patent

1979, Signály

1979, Systém 3

1979, Systém Z

1980, 1-3-2

1980, Clovek-a-znak

1980, Hlava plná ideálů

1980, RS-O1-32

1980, Systém 5371

 New year’s greeting for 1988

1990, Rodina

1990, Staronové znaky

2002, US & THEM

2003, Circles I

2003, Hogo- F060

2005, MAMA I

2008, AMOR – ROMA

2010,  211

2010, AMBO

2010, Ečka

2010, RSQ

2014, S2H