Ján Želibský — Woman with a cow

Ján Želibský entered the art scene in the second half of the 1930s. He is a representative of the Prague branch of the 1909 Generation. The author’s artistic programme is multi-layered and can be divided into several stages. While still a student, his work was dominated by rural motifs, in some of which he accentuated the social tone (Birth of a Proletarian, 1936). Gradually, influenced by the Prague environment, civilian urban motifs with themes of cafés, theatres, circuses or concerts began to appear in his work. At the end of the 1930s, the artist became involved in the Committee for the Relief of Democratic Spain (the so-called Spanish War, 1936-1939), which was reflected in his depictions of war themes, which grew even stronger with the onset of fascism and the outbreak of the Second World War (After the Raid, 1939; Homeless I, II, 1939; After the Alarm, 1939; Refugees, 1939; Murder, 1941). As a reaction to the events in Slovakia, especially in connection with the Slovak National Uprising, a series with the motif of Jánošík as a symbol of resistance to fascist power was created (Catching Jánošík, 1943; Caught Jánošík I – II, 1944; Jánošík, 1944).

The theme of the Slovak countryside has a long tradition in Želibský’s work. The first stage with these motifs dates back to the time of his studies in Prague (1930s – Lucie, 1936, Wedding 1936, Birth of a Proletarian, which is a paraphrase of the birth of Jesus, Bujak, 1937). These works, mostly oils, are characterized by their modern form, experimentation and knowledge of contemporary European painting. The second stage can be dated to the 1960s, when the artist, after a period of expressive, existential war themes during his Prague sojourn, returns again to the theme of the natural village environment. These paintings were created after his return to Slovakia. Compared to the 1930s, they are characterised by the fact that the artist experimented less, they are simple scenes – In front of the pigsty, In the village (both from 1968). They are characterised by a dark colour palette and black outlines of houses and figures. The third stage of his treatment of rural themes falls in the 1970s, and his typical medium becomes pastel, which, unlike oil, is softer in expression. Again, these are simple descriptive scenes (Horse, 1970; In the Yard, Behind the Threshing Floor, both 1973) without formal experimentation. The 1970s is a period of normalization and the artist seems to have preferred a return to the familiar world over ideological motives (the anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising and the anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia). 

The presented work Woman with a Cow by Želibský is dated 1960, chronologically it is supposed to belong to the second stage of the author’s work. The painting, however, stands out and differs from the characteristic dark palette and contours of this decade. In terms of expression and atmosphere, it could rather be classified with the pastels of the 1970s. Moreover, it does not depict a typical rural setting. The figure of a woman with cattle on the road is set in a kind of ‘modern’ village with street lights and power lines, more reminiscent of an urban setting than the features and atmosphere of a traditional village. The work came into the collection of the Nitra Gallery by purchase in 1972.