Lot 47 A
VOJTĚCH KOVAŘÍK (B. 1993)
(Portrait of) Hercules with his head in his hand
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USD 40,000–60,000
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Specialist note
Vojtěch Kovařík’s (Portrait of) Hercules with his head in his hand is a striking example of a contemporary painter’s creation of his own mythology. The present work is an intimate portrait, rather than a monumental history painting of the ubiquitous Roman god. According to art historical tradition, we would expect to see him in a state of triumph, but Kovařík gives us instead a moment of respite or regret. Hercules’s single exposed eye presides over the portrait; he looks out at us, perhaps seeking empathy or a human connection. Amplifying this liminal moment is Kovařík’s use of sand incorporated alongside paint to add depth and texture to Hercules, whose red skin is complemented by a blue-green background.
(Portrait of) Hercules demonstrates the artist’s understanding of his chosen medium. While Kovařík was trained in ceramics and sculpture, he subsequently taught himself to paint. He says, “I like limitlessness and ambiguity, layering and repainting—and that’s why I love the whole process” (V. Kovařík, quoted in The Editors, “Inside a Hidden Garden: A Conversation with Vojtêch Kovařík,” Juxtapoz, February 26, 2020). As a result, (Portrait of) Hercules posseses a sculptural quality to it that draws from the history of Greco-Roman art, even as it resides squarely in the present moment.
Inspired by visits to museums with his parents, the Czech artist’s influences are many and show his mastery of art history. A review of the exhibition Vojtěch Kovařík: The Labours of Hercules, where the present work was first shown, rightly observes, “The viewer can perceive, in the treatment of figures, the intentional maladdress of Pablo Picasso’s neoclassical period and, in the approach to color and texture, the bold language of advertising as interpreted by Fernand Léger. There is the monumentality and solemnity of the sculptural figures of art deco, as well as something of the exuberance of socialist realism” (W. Tarbox, “Vojtěch Kovařík Portrays a Forlorn Hero,” Frieze, May 4, 2023). (Portrait of) Hercules could be compared to Picasso’s similarly poignant Tête et main de femme (Head and hand of a woman) (1921), which also features as its subject the sculptural body in a state of contemplation.
Kovařík’s paintings are included in numerous institutional collections, including the Musée d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, the Bunker Art Space, West Palm Beach, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His solo exhibition Vojtěch Kovařík: Under the Weight of the World is currently on view through July 2024 at The Power Station, Dallas.
Rather than existing on an immortal plane, Kovařík’s Hercules could be any one of us. He gazes at the viewer, asking to be seen not just as a myth, but also as an emotional, fallible being. This is the power of Kovařík’s work; he shows us that even the greatest among us need moments of rest and reflection. The emotional plenitude of (Portrait of) Hercules is only compounded by Kovařík’s multimedia approach to painting, which creates an uncanny and beautiful scene that speaks across time.
(Portrait of) Hercules demonstrates the artist’s understanding of his chosen medium. While Kovařík was trained in ceramics and sculpture, he subsequently taught himself to paint. He says, “I like limitlessness and ambiguity, layering and repainting—and that’s why I love the whole process” (V. Kovařík, quoted in The Editors, “Inside a Hidden Garden: A Conversation with Vojtêch Kovařík,” Juxtapoz, February 26, 2020). As a result, (Portrait of) Hercules posseses a sculptural quality to it that draws from the history of Greco-Roman art, even as it resides squarely in the present moment.
Inspired by visits to museums with his parents, the Czech artist’s influences are many and show his mastery of art history. A review of the exhibition Vojtěch Kovařík: The Labours of Hercules, where the present work was first shown, rightly observes, “The viewer can perceive, in the treatment of figures, the intentional maladdress of Pablo Picasso’s neoclassical period and, in the approach to color and texture, the bold language of advertising as interpreted by Fernand Léger. There is the monumentality and solemnity of the sculptural figures of art deco, as well as something of the exuberance of socialist realism” (W. Tarbox, “Vojtěch Kovařík Portrays a Forlorn Hero,” Frieze, May 4, 2023). (Portrait of) Hercules could be compared to Picasso’s similarly poignant Tête et main de femme (Head and hand of a woman) (1921), which also features as its subject the sculptural body in a state of contemplation.
Kovařík’s paintings are included in numerous institutional collections, including the Musée d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, the Bunker Art Space, West Palm Beach, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His solo exhibition Vojtěch Kovařík: Under the Weight of the World is currently on view through July 2024 at The Power Station, Dallas.
Rather than existing on an immortal plane, Kovařík’s Hercules could be any one of us. He gazes at the viewer, asking to be seen not just as a myth, but also as an emotional, fallible being. This is the power of Kovařík’s work; he shows us that even the greatest among us need moments of rest and reflection. The emotional plenitude of (Portrait of) Hercules is only compounded by Kovařík’s multimedia approach to painting, which creates an uncanny and beautiful scene that speaks across time.