Jan Vytiska – Revelation

The paintings of Jan Vytiska, which make up the exhibition Revelation, are a closed cycle of works created over the past two years.

Individual works were inspired by the last book of the New Testament, the Revelation of Saint John (Apocalypse). This text is attributed to John of Patmos and is among the key biblical documents. Since the Middle Ages, it has also been one of the most significant sources of inspiration for contemporary visual art. The text offers a multitude of strong and striking motifs that have inspired many artists. There are countless examples, from the late Middle Ages (Dirk Bouts), through the Renaissance (Pieter Bruegel the Elder), Baroque (Peter Paul Rubens), to 19th-century art (John Martin). In this context, a special place is held by the cycle of visionary watercolor drawings by William Blake, which the author created between 1805 and 1810. Since then, this theme has appeared less frequently in visual art, and the series of paintings by Jan Vytiska today represents an exceptional and distinctive contribution to an almost interrupted tradition. For those familiar with Vytiska's work, the depicted theme of Revelation is not surprising; his interest in intense and heightened motifs is long-standing. Direct references to the Apocalypse are again hidden in details, in subtle hints that most viewers overlook. The basic form remains the same, with larger formats mostly oriented horizontally. Vytiska continues in his "oil" period, with oils on canvas predominating at the recent exhibition Ritual of Cursed Hearts (2023) at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art. In the new paintings, there is an even greater sense of confidence; they are more radiant, and Vytiska continues to discover new possibilities that this technique offers. This is particularly evident in the countless important details mentioned earlier. In this series, we also witness rituals taking place in the author's typical settings of wooden houses or mountain ranges. These references to folklore, as well as the flowing eye and references to horror naturalism, are characteristic of the author. The paintings almost exclusively feature girls, fearless (rather melancholic) heroines who openly stand against evil itself. They are often dressed in outfits that are atypical for folklore and seem somewhat out of place. The culmination is a monumental diptych in which Vytiska synthesizes the motifs and themes used into two large formats, where paradise and hell, good and evil, beauty and ugliness, difference and sameness, happiness and sadness, life and death are connected.