Remembrance of Photography


Photographs of nowdays, who wants to work in classical way and nevertheless originally, have to face compact and swirly tradition, which often too cruelly reflects every attempt of thematic or expressional innovation. One of the cunning methods how to the pressure of the tradition pass by is admission of that and amplification by the help of soft persiflage and considerate charging.

Luláš Kubec (1979) graduated B.A. degree in Studio of Pavel Baňka at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem. At first his ceration rotated around two main topics: nature and purity. Whether it concerned dynamically introspective portraits of preschool childern or sober still lives (but in principle portraits) of housepalnts or photographs of Šumavas arboretum in every case he operated with gentle irony and inappropriateness. Kubec sometimes move towards from clear-cut influence of Jasnaský and Polák (and not to say though ironizing Ed Rush or theorizing Jeff Wall) to the other pole: pomposity and earthiness of Bratrstvo or even what realistically landscaping bedazzlement of Zdenko Feyfar. The lot he punctuates in his last work by using large format, which causes ceremoniousness and even magical authenticity of photographs. His pictures are often influenced conceptual approach of photography as apparently symptomless evidence, just as intensive as influence of romanticism and melancholic tradidion of Czech photography. Important element of his black and white or color photographs is but especially his sophisticated photographic style, which he despite of necessary irony endeavours to explore by hitherto novel aesthetics of photographical beauty. As he said: „I have a feeling, that by the latest landscaping I have disengaged from the photography. I photo that every time only in the way as it is.“

Pavel Vančát, Klenová, 13th August 2009

(own text revision: „L. K.: Král Šumavy“, Fotograf, 1/2006 a „L. K.: Má vlast“, galerie AM180, 12/2006)