Novotný & Thýn

While Jaromír Novotný is primarily referred to as a painter and Jiří Thýn as a photographer, both artists examine the definition and the wider possibilities of their respective mediums.
The paintings of Jaromír Novotný often use the approach, techniques and even materials of the sculptor, the photographer, or printer creating works which are at first sight still seemingly 2 dimensional monochrome paintings but on closer inspection reveal a unique approach to material and form. In his most recent works the paint is at once delicate, translucent and yet, seemingly dense and impenetrable, incorporating boards and stitchings which create their own shapes and shadows on or through the canvas. Novotný also treats the frames and crossbars of the paintings as an integral part of the work, they are sometimes revealed or partly. In yet another series of works he ‘paints’ on photopaper with exposures or with printing ink on canvas. The edges of Jaromir’s works often reveal yet another dimension – seemingly not demarcating the end of work or trying to contain it in any way.

In a similar way, Jiří Thýn’s photography encompasses a broader definition of the term. In his Drawings by Light, for example, he uses stencils to create incredibly delicate geometric shapes by exposing photopaper. In his series Consciousness as a Fundamental Attribute, photographs are shot, then parts are removed or objects are added and then reshot in a layering, adding and removing process which treats the medium as a sculptural process. In fact sculptural works are an integral part of his practice and are exhibited with his photography, both as independent works standing outside the photographs but also as part of the photographs own presentation.