Friendship

TORTURE IS A COWARDLY AND SHAMEFUL ACT THAT CAN

                        NEVER BE JUSTIFIED-Fidel Castro                                    

                                                                                                                                                       

With her artwork, she brought you, her virtue, talent, love, happiness………

hidden harmony of her soul, despair, agony, of our children victimized by you

melancholy that; carries in our lives. Memories, “Canada” cruel, memories                                        Why me? Why me? I never did anything to you? You killed my baby you……..

murderer our babies inside the Canadian Embassy, Prague.

and in the Pearson International  Airport, Immigration Detention  Center.

                                A painter of Cultural Synthesis

                         By Ph. Dr. Lubos Augustin Hlavacek

One of the symptomatic features of modern art is the creative relationships with various formal stylish impulses of non-European culture, and their gradual assimilation into the uniform whole of the cosmopolitan, a harmonic of fine art performance, getting rid of backward local-ethnic tradition.

This historical process is possible to observe from the beginning of Post-Impressionism, when a French painter, Paul Gauguin discovered for himself an inspiration in the folk art from the region of Bretagne, he also found on the Island of Tahiti a new exotic colourism which became symptomatic for his original formal paintings. His composition is essentially bold pattern making. Paintings of the Post-Impressionist era lead quite directly to what we call modern art.

The expressive lapidarity of cubism is a typical feature of Picasso’ and Braque’s sculpture with symptoms of the primitive sculpture of Black Africa and its impulsive expressivity, which is popular for world sculpture until this time.

We can demonstrate for instance, that a fine creation of our century originated from the influence of great civilizations like old Crete (Cyclades idols from 2,000 B.C), (Greek archaic sculpture, 7-6 B.C), (Etruscan, 800 B.C) (Iberian and Celts, 1500 B.C.) and mural painting from Pompeii, 1^st century.

In today’s time we can see the efforts of a Czech-Canadian artist, Elizabeth H. Elys (ELISKA), who brings to her work the legacy of the ancient cultural environment from which she came, this environment an her own background enrich her intense interest in the creation of her concept of historical tradition. Like Henry Moore, Elisabeth H. Elys has found a great source of inspiration in the art work from the region of Central and South America which is dating from the time of Columbus.

Born in the heart of Europe, the historical crossroads to which came many cultures, ideas and civilized trends, Elizabeth H. Elys absorbed in her work the best that this geographic region can offer, to show and to boast.

Prague, today the capital city of the Czech Republic and in the middle ages the thousandth metropole of an independent royalty. Settled by the Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire in the 14^th and 16^th century it was a city of diverse cultural mixture and unity. Besides a tradition of Gothic style there, came an influence of mainly the Italian Baroque during the time of the 17^th and 18^th centuries, this gives Prague a unique and symptomatic face to the modern world.

Absorbing the beauty of Prague since her early childhood and throughout the years of her education, Elizabeth H. Elys was also greatly influenced by her family background. Her father is an art historian and philosopher, has published more than 40 books on the subject of art including for example the first comprehensive Czech monograph of Pablo Picasso. His extensive library and own collection of old and modern art were from an early age an enlightenment for his talented budding artist, the intellectual stimulation and experience from this environment gave to Elizabeth a firm and comprehensive background for her creative work.

Elizabeth H. Elys was born in the southern Bohemian city of “Tabor” which during the 15^th century was a religious center, the European reformation; John Hus can all be linked to “Tabor”. Elizabeth H. Elys lived through her childhood in this city and its beautiful surrounding nature where up to the present time there exists to be seen the fine baroque architecture, richly decorated facades, narrow cobbled streets dating from centuries past. Taken together with the beautiful city of Prague and it’s “hundred” towers, the beautiful architecture of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque it is easy to see why this all became the main inspirational source for the painter.

From an early age Elizabeth H. Elys discovered an interest in the Islamic culture and Negro art, mainly with sculpture and the spiritual power of the cult with its masks and idols, when she came to Canada in the Autumn of 1990 she developed an interest in the art of native Indian’s and Eskymo’s, has developed a knowledge of the old Inca’s, Mayans, and Aztec cultures, a thirst for knowledge of culture which does not diminish with time. In all of this learning Elizabeth H. Elys has developed and shaped her own dimension and space and this is evident in her own unique style of work today.

In her work we can found motifs expressing the wonderful memories of her childhood and a gentle love of her maternal country. Her creations radiate a feeling of warmth and friendliness, a typical expression of her people homeland. During some years in North and South America this ability and expression has been honed to a fine skill where Elizabeth has been able to bring to her work a depth of history from her native heritage mixed with the uniqueness she has found in the culture of South America.

With this diverse background of European-Czech, Islamic-African, Canadian-Ibero-American Elizabeth H. Elys display a cultural universalism in her art which can find a wide appeal among members of all nations. With sensitive and decorative colours, almost a drawing style reminiscent of many an ancient culture her composition moves from fine geometric shapes to the whole seemingly without regard to time or space, however it is there in all its depth and almost primeval beauty.

On one side Elizabeth H. Elys is a painter of expressive style not bound by the “normal” methods or forms, yet on another side one can see the depth of history and foreign culture expressed in her work, whichever method is displayed there can be seen a sensible, intelligent, and almost spiritual approach to her subject.

Besides canvas, much of her work of Elizabeth H. Elys is suitable for textile or tapestry, even as models for mosaic. Landscape themes evoke memories of her childhood “Tabor” and the old architecture Prague, blending a lively harmony of human and non-human activity. Her work spans oceans uniting old and new mainland’s giving warmth from people to people and expressing a message of eternal friendship and immortal love for all mankind.