Lucie Raškovová
Lucie Raškovová was born on February 3, 1970 in Prague. She deals with gravure techniques, primarily the technique of soft cover, bibliophile and author's books.
Education
1984 - 1987 SOUz Velká Chuchle, field of study caregiver and rider of racehorses
1988 - 1990 SŽS Středokluky near Prague, graduation during work
1991 - 1997 Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design - illustration and graphics studio, professor Jiří Šalamoun
Study Abroad
1994 University of Art and Design Halle, Germany, Professor Ingrid Schuldheiss
1994 International Lithographic Symposium in Leipzig, Germany, Professor Christian Müller
1995 International Summer Academy in Salzburg, Austria, Sommerakademie für Kunst und Design, led by Adriena Šimotová
Employment
1988 JZD Družba, Suchdol near Kutná Hora, caretaker and rider of racing horses
1988 - 1990 Agroprojekt / Agroprojekt - centre, computer centre operator
1997- present assistant professor at the Department of Graphics, Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague
The path from phenomenon to essence,
that is how I would briefly call the work of Lucie Raškovová. All real artists are acquainted with this path. In her case, this path is extraordinarily straight, perhaps too much so, as if she lacked any doubt. But at its core, this is not the case. Take, for example, her drawings and studies directly from nature. They are extraordinarily humbly seen and just as humbly recorded. The details are processed with an admirable degree of direct abstraction of observed reality. In the tangle of hatching (grass, branches, etc.) a mysterious spatial magic is created, reminiscent of Seghers' exceptional graphics.
The second part of the author's thesis consists of graphic sheets. I admit that I perceive them more as an intermediate link between the real study and the definitive composition of the illustrated book. Of course, the workmanship is delicate and technically marvellous. Nevertheless, I think that in my conception it belongs to a slightly different period, a different time. I do not see a clearly composed composition in them, which would not be merely a slice of reality. Perhaps Raškovová didn’t have enough time to work on the subjects, perhaps the intermediate section of the free graphic sheets is a bit problematic in itself in this case. But even here, several distinctive sheets appear. Especially one with the theme of the forest, which in its mythical conception is almost Váchalesque and which suggests a further shift in free graphic creation.
A wholly special chapter, which I accept unconditionally, is the final work of Lucie Raškovová, the graphic design and illustrations for a book of poetry by Otokar Březina, The Danger of the Harvest. The absolute sovereignty with which form and content are mastered deserves genuine respect. Humility is still present, but one senses it more in the background. It is covered by a large form, a clear composition and strong expression. All illustrations are of the same quality, each with its own identity. Nothing is repeated, but at the same time everything merges into a single, overarching unity. The quality of the structures and the velvetiness of the blacks are remarkable. At the same time, everything is free of glossiness and descriptiveness. Raškovová does not return to the past or traditionalism, but her connection with Březina is absolute. It is actually more of a kind of mental encounter, where each remains true to their time, one in word, the other in image.
And finally, perhaps something that may sound very out of date today: My respect for what is called diligence. Not ant-like diligence, but human. If it is used in a fully spiritual sense, as long as it does not lead to a self-serving, ever-repeating gesture, if the author is able to stop and correct herself, this feature is something very valuable. Lucie Raškovová evinces it in almost everything she does. I must express my admiration for the fact that she was able to arrive at this essence in this way.
Just a minor footnote: Only at the end did I realize that I had slightly reversed the sequence of the individual parts of the thesis. But I no longer want to change that because in any case, I want my final tribute to this book to be truly unconditional.
Adriena Šimotová, opponent's review of the thesis, June 1997
Dear Miss Raškovová! The more words that in some way belong to you and your work accumulate on paper, the more difficult it is to compile from them (not only from school - official duties) some clear sentences not only about your graduate work, but also about yourself.
The strange seriousness of standing timeless figures, things and trees in the landscape and interiors in a kind of tense dead silence of the old world, compelling with the force of will to dampen one's own tension, to freeze in a special calm photographic moments, instants of vague truths in which we find , without the past and perhaps the future, are a bit like and a bit unlike serious Greek women, widows in the dim twilight of corridors drawn with a great sense of atmosphere, a range of grey halftones in a half-dream reality, are as if marked by the reading of little salon books, carefully and authoritatively perceived and then perhaps pushed aside in favour of her own visions, consciously and programmatically unfashionable. Perhaps concerns about the risks of current waves are balanced by a willingness to accept the risks of old-fashioned independence, a kind of academic authenticity, moving back in time to the tranquillity of parks and forest paths.
Miss Raškovová took advantage of what is today an unusual opportunity to build on a mysterious time, perhaps the end of the monarchy, a kind of newly avant-garde worlds of her own, an almost virtual reality of shadowy groves and curtains, a paradise of responsible people in an imaginary world.
It seems as if the graphic material, always somewhat refusing to obey, compelling and tempting one to an alchemical preparation, simultaneously legitimizes with forced diligence and responsible industry an extended youth, the postponed suffering of adulthood and difficult questions, which emerge in long sessions over metal plates and hand typesetting.
I don't know if this is still a shadow of the past, or the beginning of another preparatory phase of ever-changing artistic views of the world, the germ of some other amalgam of the past and the future. In any case, it is an extraordinarily high-quality ending to something and a solid foundation for a step out into life.
Jiří Šalamoun, June 1997
