Kominík a Sněhulák 1925

This abstract image of a chimney sweep and a snowman was painted by Jindrich Styrsky at some point in the first half of the 20th century. Styrsky was a Czech artist who worked between the wars, a time of great social change, as well as upheaval in the art world. The image shows an engagement with cubism and surrealism. These were international art movements, but Styrsky also sought to develop a specifically Czech form of modernism by drawing on native folk traditions. The snowman is a figure of popular culture, but the chimney sweep would also have been a common sight in rapidly industrializing cities like Prague. Here, they appear as geometric forms, like characters in a play. What is the relationship between them? By looking at newspapers, magazines, and photographs from the period, we can find out more about the cultural values and social tensions that shaped Styrsky's work. Art is more than just aesthetics; it reflects the world around it.