1 Abstract A monograph on Jan Kotík (1916-2002) introduces both his art and theoretical work, it deals with a historical and cultural context of the now-defunct Czechoslovakia. Kotík's - an artist's, theoretician's, published author's, educator's - artwork enjoys a prominent position in the context of Czech art of the second half of 20th century. An art-historical assessment of artwork was based on Kotik's artwork inventory and on all the documentation on Kotik's life and art work archived in the Documentation Department of the Institute of Art History of the Academy of Sciences of the CR and in private archives in the CR and Berlin. The study is based on a method of organic combination of biographical data and art-historical data with quotation of Kotik's theoretical texts. An evolution of artist's work is demonstrated chronologically with the context to Czech and world art. The monograph includes chapters: "Father Pravoslav's Art Studio and Study Years", "Art Group 42", "Possibilities of Applied Art", "Painting-Object", "Stay in Berlin", "Returns".

The following work investigates the nature of the aesthetic experience of the abstract expressionist paintings of Mark Rothko. I suggest that the aesthetic experience in relation to his paintings best is understood in terms of the sublime. To support my position, I discuss the impact of abstraction in comparison to figuration in art on our aesthetic experience. Abstraction in art, I suggest, provides the basis for an aesthetic experience where the viewer can enjoy the visual features and composition free from connecting any depicted imagery to our physical world. This, I hold, provides the basis for a unique type of aesthetic experience. Further, I suggest that the visual complexity in the abstract paintings of Mark Rothko, as well as the aesthetic appeal of his artworks, provides a sense of great magnitude and depth whilst captivating our aesthetic attention. The notion of abstraction allows our minds to never reach a final conclusion as to what type of object we are perceiving. The artistically refined manner in which the artworks are presented captivates our aesthetic attention, allowing us to fully perceptually engage in the limitless sense of depth and visual complexity of his paintings. This, I suggest, provides an encounter in which we through means of perception encounter the idea of a complete form of which magnitude we can never fully comprehend. I argue that this suggests that the aesthetic experience of the abstract expressionist paintings of Mark Rothko best is understood as that of the sublime.

The manifesto of the Quebecer art movement Automatism, the Refus global (Montreal, 1948), is today one of the best known socio-political writings of Quebec. It is considered to have been the beginning of Quebec's cultural modernity and an early sign of its political modernity. In the early 1940's the manifesto's author Paul-Émile Borduas (1905-1960) had already been praised for his art later named "Automatism". It was seen by the automatists as the evolution of Surrealism (like Abstract Expressionism). Many art critics called this the first Canadian painting that followed the modern aesthetics of the time. According to the surrealist program the automatists aspired to create a new Quebec society. In 1948, the fact that their manifesto differed greatly from the conservative political and social ideas of Maurice Duplessis (Prime Minister of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and from 1944 to 1959) made Borduas and the manifesto famous. It was considered to be an attack against the traditionalistic institutions because it not only required pictorial but also general liberty. Maurice Duplessis' death in 1959 was the beginning of the Quiet Revolution. During this eventful time the Quebecois began officially to identify with the modern state they were creating. The end of the old regime was also the beginning of a new Quebec nationalism which is important for the new reception of Automatism. The intellectuals discovered the Refus global and saw in Borduas their spiritual father in their claim for an original Quebec culture and a greater political autonomy. In the former condemnation of the manifesto they found the proof that the old political system in Quebec prevented modernity. This thesis traces the reception of Surrealism, Automatism and the Refus global in Quebec throughout the period from the 1940's to the turn of the century. It shows how modern (cultural and national) identity has been established, which groups have been interested in its construction and how the commemoration of the manifesto still helps today to support the nationalist project in Quebec. / Das Manifest des Automatismus, der Refus global (Montreal, 1948), zählt heute zu den bedeutendsten soziopolitischen Schriften Québecs und wird als Beginn der kulturellen und als Vorzeichen der politischen Moderne Québecs angesehen. Die Dissertation untersucht die Rezeption des Manifests und der quebecer Kunstströmung, die sich als eine Weiterentwicklung des europäischen Surrealismus sah, sowie den Wandel in der Sinnzuweisung. Der Untersuchungskorpus besteht aus Artikeln, Ausstellungskatalogen, Monografien, Dokumentarfilmen etc., die in den letzten 50 Jahren über den Automatismus bzw. den Refus global in Québec erschienen sind. Für ihre Analyse wurden literarische Rezeptionstheorien und "Gedächtnistheorien" (u.a. von Jauß, Assmann und Nora) herangezogen. Mit ihrer Hilfe wird der Weg nachgezeichnet, wie die Schrift und die Kunstbewegung in das kollektive quebecer Gedächtnis eingingen, um dem Aufbau einer modernen quebecer Identität zu dienen und den politischen Diskurs des Souveränismus in Québec zu stützen. Die Ergebnisse werfen auch ein Licht auf die Gruppen, die an diesem Prozess beteiligt waren und noch immer sind. Bereits zu Beginn der 1940er Jahre hatte der Autor des Manifests, Paul-Émile Borduas (1905-1960), die Aufmerksamkeit der Intellektuellen auf sich gezogen: Zahlreiche Kunstkritiker erkannten in seiner Malerei den Beginn einer originären kanadischen Kunst der Moderne, die nicht mehr die europäischen Vorbilder kopierte, sondern mit der zeitgenössischen Ästhetik (s. Abstrakter Expressionismus) aufschloss. Wie den Surrealisten, so ging es auch den Automatisten um die Schaffung einer neuen Gesellschaft. Ihr im Refus global dargelegtes Programm kontrastierte denn auch aufs Schärfste mit dem konservativen politischen und sozialen Diskurs von Maurice Duplessis (Premierminister von Québec von 1936 bis 1939 und von 1944 bis 1959), der zudem vom Antikommunismus in den USA beeinflusst wurde. Der Tod Duplessis' im Jahr 1959 war zugleich der Beginn der Révolution tranquille. Während dieser ereignisreichen Zeit identifizierten sich zahlreiche Quebecer mit dem modernen Staat, den sie schufen. Durch die Kontrastierung des Traditionalismus Duplessis' mit den Neuerungen der 1960er Jahre entstand der Eindruck, Québec trete erst jetzt in seine politische Moderne ein. Vor dem Hintergrund dieser Geschichtsinterpretation entstand ein neuartiger quebecer Nationalismus, der auf eine größere Autonomie Québecs abzielte und entscheidend für die Wahrnehmung des Automatismus war: Die Intellektuellen entdeckten den Refus global wieder und sahen in seinem Autor den geistigen Vater ihres Rufes nach einer originären quebecer Kultur der Moderne als Grundlage einer größeren politischen Autonomie. In den folgenden Jahren bedienten sie sich des Automatismus zur Schaffung einer neuen quebecer (Kultur-)Geschichte, in die der Ruf nach kollektiver Selbstbestimmung eingeschrieben wurde. So avancierten Borduas und die anderen Automatisten zu Vorvätern des modernen Québec. Diese Wahrnehmung der Bewegung wird begleitet von einer Abwertung der Leistungen anderer moderner quebecer Künstler und Immigranten und dient bis heute der Stärkung des nationalen Ichs

This dissertation thesis deals with the work of three contemporary Czech artists - Josef Bolf, Jakub Špaňhel and Lubomír Typlt. The reason for choosing these three was the fact that all of the artists represent the same generation which entered the art scene in the late 1990s and their canvases can be equally described as expressive, although right at first glance there are noticeable differences in the intervention of the emotional and sense elements which participated in the creation process of the work of art, but also in its content. Contemporary expressive paintings are influenced by the development of art in the second half of the 20th century which is based on the continuous comparing of expressive subjectivity and its negation or intentional application and irony. That is why I decided to illustratively explore the movements which took place in terms of the foreign and Czech scene during the second half of the 20th century in the field of expressive painting. Because the Czech art arose in different conditions, I explored the changes of this phenomenon separately in these geographical areas, but at the same time I carried out a partial analysis of the works and comparisons with the work of the three chosen artists based on these findings. Subsequently, I analysed the work of the chosen...

This thesis project examines both inner and outer circumstances of knowledge in an attempt to emphasize the importance of personal reflection. I search for answers on how to communicate feelings through colour and form by studying Mark Rothko and the abstract expressionism. A personal reflection is made parallelly to expand my own understanding of the subject and my own role in relation to it. I also explore painting as amethod of deepening my understanding of Rothko. Mark Rothko is both subject of study and tutor as I give myself the task of translating his art into my own design. The result offers thoughts and ideas on the significance of the work of hand, the use of colour and the meaning of intention, which I claim are important aspects when aiming for emotional results. However I also reflect upon the fact that the communication remains individual and that it is therefore problematic to confirm success in this matter. / Detta är ett undersökande arbete som vänder sig både inåt och utåt. Det är en djupdykning i Mark Rothkos konstnärskap som sker parallellt med en personlig reflektion. Inledningsvis handlar det om att arbeta i gränslandet mellan konst och design och hurdet kan se ut. I förlängningen handlar det om hur den konstnärliga historien kan fungera som inspiratör och vägledare för innebörd och uttryck i formgivningen. Genom att studera den abstrakta expressionismen och Mark Rothko söker jag svar på hur känslomässig kommunikation kan ske genom färg och form. Förutom litterär research utför jag också en praktiskt undersökning där jag använder måleriet som en metod för att förstå mitt studieobjekt; Mark Rothko. Målet är att översätta Mark Rothkos konst till min design. Det handlar om att studera, internalisera och applicera. Resultatet bjuder in till en diskussion om handlagets, färgens och intentionens betydelse för formgivningen, där jag hävdar att dessa aspekter är viktiga för ett emotionellt berörande resultat, men att kommunikationen förblir individuell.