GAVIN PLUMLEY
THE MAGIC OF PRAGUE – THE CITY AND THE CZECH CULTURAL REVIVAL
As part of the Habsburg Empire, Prague was beloved of kings and princes. During the 19th century, however, the Czechs sought to reclaim the city for their own. Looking back at their roots and mythology the Czech people imagined a new future through art, entirely reshaping cultural movements including Romanticism and symbolism in specifically patriotic ways. Looking at painters such as Alfons Mucha, Otakar Lebeda and Jakub Schikaneder and composers like Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak, as well as their forward-thinking literary and architectural contemporaries, this contextual talk shows how the Czechs reclaimed both country and capital by cultural means.
Non-members welcome at £10 per person.
If you are a non-member and would like to reserve a place, please email secretary@artssocietysw@gmail.com
