Vladislav Gajda: The Birth of Iron - University Museum VSB-TUO

Name: The Birth of Iron

Author: Vladislav Gajda

Dating: 1968-1970, in 2019 moved to VŠB-TUO

Location: originally at the entrance to the social building of Plant 2 (New Steelworks) of the former Vítkovice Ironworks (today Vítkovice Steel), removed and relocated due to the demolition of the building, from 2019 in the interior of the entrance area of the New VŠB-TUO auditorium

Execution: relief made of blasted Hořice sandstone, originally partially plated with gold

SAVED RELIEF

Gajda’s relief The Birth of Iron was originally created for the building of the New Steelworks in Vítkovice, where it was also located from its completion in 1970 until 2019. Jakub Ivánek (author of the ostravskesochy.cz database) drew attention to the threat to the relief during the planned demolition of the original building in 2018, and in cooperation with VŠB-TUO, the relief was saved, relocated and included in the university art collection.

The motif of the relief Coal and Iron created for VŠB is very close to The Birth of Iron, which was designed at the same time for the so-called New Steelworks of Vítkovice Ironworks (1969–1970). If we imagine the Poruba relief without the technical notches in the upper part of the central circle of, which copy the outline of the Prometheus exterior relief, we can see, in the case of Vítkovice relief, an almost identically shaped circular element. On the Vítkovice relief, the fumes and fires pouring into the sky are more distinct (without the addition of hatches and capillary lines) and supplemented by impressive gold-plating of the structure. They thus reveal more of the mythological dimension of the work, when the smoke in the sky transforms into the wings of a mythical phoenix rising from the ashes. When comparing the two works, Vítkovice’s The Birth of Iron helps to realize the relationship between Poruba’s Coal and Iron in the university lobby with Prometheus in the exterior, also based on a symbolic level referring to mythology. In addition, it sheds light on its name (Coal and Iron), because in the first plan, the theme of mining is particularly evident in the Poruba relief, while metallurgy is somewhat subdued in the overall expression.

Relief The Birth of Iron after installation in the New Hall of VSB-TUO in 2019, photo by Eva Špačková

Installation of the Birth of Iron in summer 2019, photos VSB-TUO

Vladislav Gajda

(1925–2010)

Work: Prometheus/Expansion of Science, Technology and Civilization

Coal and Iron / The Birth of Coal

The Birth of Iron

Vladislav Gajda was a graduate of the State Secondary School specialized in sculpture and stonemasonry in Hořice (1945–1949) and the Academy of Fine Arts, the studio of Jan Lauda (1949–1954). He lived and worked in Ostrava all his life. Vladislav focused mainly on free monumental sculptures and on the connection of sculptural installation and architecture. His collaboration with architects, especially with Ivo Klimeš, is significant. By chosen morphology, he showed respect for the spatial layout, the need for expression, and the message content. In this way, he filled a formal scale from the realistic position (The Coal Mining, Slezská Ostrava, 1959) to a non-figurative position (Cemetery Stele, the Central Cemetery in Slezská Ostrava, 1959–1971; Prometheus, Expansion of Science, Techniques and Civilization, the facade of the Rectorate building at VŠB-Technical University in Ostrava, Poruba, 1968–1973; Rock Wall, Kačerov metro station in Prague, 1972–1973, etc.). In 1964 Vladislav Gajda visited, together with other Czechoslovak artists, the studio of the British sculptor Henry Moore, which strongly motivated him to reduce the specific details.