On the Corner at Kožená, Prague 1992

Curator: Looking at Maria Bozoky's "On the Corner at Kožená, Prague," painted in 1992, what strikes you immediately? Editor: There's an immediate melancholy, I think, from the subdued palette. And this figure—rather awkwardly placed in the composition it seems, with disproportionate elements—emanates an air of solemn resignation, doesn’t it? Curator: Interesting. For me, the real draw lies in understanding Bozoky’s working process. The visibly layered washes, perhaps watercolour or very thinned oils, hint at a delicate dance between intention and chance. We know very little about her, yet these visible construction choices suggest a tangible, physical engagement with place. Editor: Yes, but what do the brushstrokes themselves communicate? Note how the buildings are suggested with quick, almost ephemeral lines, juxtaposed against the relative density of color in the figure. It emphasizes their isolation and inner state doesn’t it? Curator: I'd argue it’s less about a fixed 'inner state' and more about exploring how public and private space, especially the corner of a street like Kožená in Prague, might have existed after the political change during this time period in 1992. What social realities do those lines imply when one looks closer? This, I think, speaks more forcefully about both artistic struggle and lived existence than notions of simple interiority. The location itself seems critical in understanding the painting’s larger purpose, it being such a common and unassuming street in Prague. Editor: You raise a compelling point about location and production, and its social and cultural implications. Still, I’m fixated on this use of watercolor techniques and the quick gestures—there is an expressiveness there beyond the simple documentation of an interaction with locality, the construction, material interaction if you will, still remains one where expressiveness is made dominant. It hints to an artistic self reflection regardless. Curator: Indeed. Each brushstroke embodies a whole host of conditions – political conditions that shaped identity for those living on that very corner. Thank you for highlighting those. Editor: And thank you, for drawing us into those corners of Prague, making us stop and notice what resides within and just beyond those lines of Maria Bozoky's remarkable work.