Eva and Bohumír Krystyn: Youth, Life, and Nature

Name: Youth, Life, and Nature

Author: Eva and Bohumír Krystyn

Dating: 1987

Location: in the interior on the front wall in the entrance hall of the VŠB-TUO cafeteria

Execution: a relief mosaic made of glazed ceramics, 210 x 980 cm

A FANTASY VIEW INTO THE WORLD OF NATURE

It was in 1987 when the Krystyn couple created the last of their joint realization for the new building of the University cafeteria. Initially, Eva Krystynová was awarded the contract for a large-sized decorative wall (almost 10 m long) with the subject of Youth, Life, and Nature for the entrance hall of the building. However, she had died before completing the contract, and, therefore, her husband Bohumír had to finish the work. While the small reliefs for the bar in the VŠB-TUO halls of residence had a direct relationship to the subject of youth, the relief mosaic in the cafeteria, although it has the word “youth” already in its name, does so indirectly. Only four scenes – swimming in the sea, windsurfing and meeting in the countryside with a book or a guitar – have a direct relationship to the lives of the youngsters. And even those are obviously tied to nature, which becomes the main theme.

An irregular horizontal composition that may resemble waves on the surface of the sea or lake is unified by the central circle. It captures several birds (such as a turkey or a rooster with some hens and chickens) in a lush flora environment with the sun in the background. Various birds and their offspring also occupy many other places on the wall. However, an undersea world full of bizarre fish and other creatures from the ocean depths, and here and there also some other animals such as a flying lizard, a hedgehog, a snake, or a resting little fawn keep them company. If not for some specific animals, we might think that the artwork presents a rich selection of poultry for the local cafeteria or, on the contrary, intends to discourage a particularly sensitive diner from eating meat. The colourful wall with a pure summer tone captivates (in the result) by its overall appeal and holiday mood.

Bohumír Krystyn

(1919–2010)

Work: We Learn from Nature
From the Life of Youngsters
Youth, Life, and Nature

Krystyn’s studies at the School of Arts and Crafts in Brno were interrupted in 1944 by deployment to a Prague factory. In 1945, Krystyn enrolled in the University of Applied Arts in Prague, where he graduated in the studio of the monumental painting under Emil Filla in 1950. In the 1950’s he painted the construction of the ironworks Klement Gottwald Nová Huť and portrayed its first employees. He gradually stripped his purely realistic painting style of details and gave it a significant impression. His landscapes and bouquets of flowers engage our attention by its multi-coloured, almost exaggerated colouring. Besides painting, he also devoted himself to ceramics. In addition to a number of works together with his wife Eva, he also cooperated with ceramist Lubor Těhník (a mosaic Family for the Cultural Centre of the company Pozemní stavby in Moravian Ostrava; a dividing wall for the Nová Huť in Ostrava-Zábřeh, 1965). Together with glassmaker Benjamin Hejlk, they designed decorative glass walls for the headquarters of the Ostrava-Karviná Mines (1965). Krystyn himself is the author of decorative grids in the apartment hotel owned by Vítkovice Ironworks in Ostrava-Zábřeh (1970 and 1971) or stained glass for the Spa House Petr Bezruč in Jeseník (Spa). He was a member of the Ostrava and Prague branches of the Union of Czechoslovak Fine Artists. He has participated in a number of foreign study internships.

Eva Krystynová, born Zvědělíková

(1922–1987)

Work: We Learn from Nature
From the Life of Youngsters
Youth, Life, and Nature

Eva Krystynová was born in Skalica, Slovakia. From 1942 to 1948, she studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague under Karel Svolinský. From 1950, she worked as an art designer for the Children’s House in Prague. She moved to Ostrava with her husband in 1960 and until 1968 she worked as an art designer in the community centre in Ostrava-Poruba. Later, she became a freelance artist. Her work was inspired by the folk traditions of the Moravian-Slovak borderland and the children’s art. In cooperation with her husband Bohumír she also created a number of works for architecture. Their unmistakeable ceramic (sometimes in relief) mosaics have been used to decorate the building interiors of kindergartens (e.g. Ostrava-Zábřeh, Ostrava-Lhotka, Havířov, Frýdek-Místek), primary schools (Ostrava-Výškovice, Fulnek Special School), secondary schools (Secondary School of Chemistry in Ostrava-Zábřeh, restaurants (Ostrava – Mariánské Hory, Opava), shopping centres (Klimkovice), the Hrabyně rehabilitation centre, and others.