Libuša Čtveráková — At the coffee

Even though the art work is not signed by Libuša Čtveráková it bears incovincingly her trademarks. The artwork “At the coffee” is one of those works where we discover an impressive overlapping of an aesthetic experience not separate from the context of life situations, conveying pleasant human experience.

The composition made of ceramics and situated in the right part of an old frame impresses the recipient, it is emotional and dear. The author is expressive as it is typical for her but here we can see a domestic scene, a young woman presented from a profile enjoying her favourite drink at the small table with a vase on it – it is a cup of coffee in a cosy café, perhaps at U Michala café, under the Michael’s Gate in Bratislava, which by the end of 20^th C used to be a popular meeting place for Bratislava intellectuals – painters, sculptors, art historians, writers and poets. One of them was also Emil Boleslav Lukáč (1900 -1979), an old decent man in a black coat, always with a hat, and white scarf and a stick. A young woman might be waiting for somebody as she browses her memories smiling, remembering pleasant moments, or she might be just enjoying the momentary tranquility of everyday ritual. The face of the sitting woman is complemented by a nonchalant hairstyle.

The colour palette of Čtveráková reminds us of Rudnay[1], it moves between burnt brown and reddish tones, brightened only be a table cloth of beige and brown colour, frilled freely and falling into the space overflowing the painting frame.

This artifact as well as all other works by the paintress display the genuine deep interest in a man, imbued with deep optimism, which was a significant element shaping her creative expression. The ceramic relief “At the coffee” can be linked to her “easy-going” ceramic works from the end of the nineties of 20^th C. The composition blends the witty detachment with a philosophical view of a human being in a precious harmony of a form and content.

Libuša Čtveráková’s works spoke to many admirers. An important Slovak poet, fiction writer, journalist and a translator Rudolf Čižmárik (1949 – 2008) dedicated a poem to her.