street scene rendered in thin, washy pigments; dappled periwinkle-blue sky; hanging branches with thin, burgundy branches and tiny rich green leaves in URQ and right center edge; white tree shape on left with thin, burgundy branches; lines of figures at bottom left; two small children in bottom center; a couple, with a man in a wearing a brown suit, and female figure in a white dress with a red sash, with red and yellow hat in LRC

Roztocka Alley (Roztocká alej), 1910

expand_more

Color woodcutexpand_more

Gift of Marla J. Kinneyexpand_more  2019.57.11

Not on Viewexpand_more

The gauzy atmosphere suggests an Impressionist painting, but this work by Arnošt Hofbauer is a woodcut. It satisfies two concerns facing Czech artists around 1910: how to reflect the national culture and be modern. While the woodcut medium harks back to the Slavic tradition of craft work, a complicated woodcut depicting modern life would have been quite new.

Roztocka Alley was in Hofbauer’s hometown of Prague, still one of the world’s most beautiful cities in which to stroll. The diluted colors, dominated by shades of violet, add to the scene’s buoyant mood. Hofbauer invented his red chop mark, modeled on the Japanese signature stamp, after seeing Japanese prints in Paris in 1900.

file_downloadprintshare
arrow_back home
Details
Title
Roztocka Alley (Roztocká alej)
Artist Life
1869 - 1944
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2019.57.11
Provenance
Robert Ricciotti, Dover, N.J., until 2016; sold to Clemens; (Thomas J. Clemens, Boston, 2016-17; sold to Kinney); Marla J. Kinney, Minneapolis (2017-19)
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

street scene rendered in thin, washy pigments; dappled periwinkle-blue sky; hanging branches with thin, burgundy branches and tiny rich green leaves in URQ and right center edge; white tree shape on left with thin, burgundy branches; lines of figures at bottom left; two small children in bottom center; a couple, with a man in a wearing a brown suit, and female figure in a white dress with a red sash, with red and yellow hat in LRC