Ptáci v mlze 1937

Josef Capek’s oil painting, dating from 1937, presents us with dark birds against a misty backdrop. The birds—stark, cruciform shapes—bear a disquieting resemblance to omens or dark angels, their presence looming over the scene. The motif of birds has long been laden with symbolic weight. In ancient times, birds were messengers of the gods, soaring between the heavens and earth. Yet, as seen here, they can also signify foreboding. Think of the carrion birds associated with battlefields, as well as the ominous black birds in gothic art and literature. Here, the birds seem almost like projections of collective anxieties, shaped by historical and personal traumas. Capek himself was a victim of Nazi persecution. The painting, therefore, resonates with a deeper psychological dimension—a visual expression of fear and uncertainty. These birds are not merely creatures of the sky, but symbols of the invisible threats that haunt our subconscious. The cyclical recurrence of such ominous bird imagery across cultures and eras reminds us of the enduring power of symbols to reflect and refract our deepest fears, evolving with each retelling, each new historical shadow.