Kaleidoscope of Unconventional Hues – The Magical Confluence of Czech Color Maestro Lubomír Typlt and 'Levitation' (Part II): The Haunting Allure

Aug. 25, 2023, 8:24 p.m.

In the previous piece, Kaleidoscope of Unconventional Hues – The Magical Confluence of Czech Color Maestro Lubomír Typlt and 'Levitation' (Part I): The Artist’s Quest for Enlightenment, Typlt unveiled his journey of artistic exploration, from his upbringing to his academic pursuits. In this installment, we accompany him as he discusses the pivotal transition from student life to becoming a professional artist, and delve into the creative narrative behind his latest exhibition, "Levitation".

A Life of Slashes: From the Studio to the Stage, Then Transforming into a Loving Father Back at Home

After an extended period of academic pursuits, Typlt was elated to leave school behind. He set up his own studio in Berlin and dedicated himself fully to the profession of painting. "Painting, at its core, is a solitary endeavor. When I paint, I require utter tranquility and focus," he remarked. While he acknowledges that in today's age, an artist must juggle various organizational tasks and be adept at marketing their work to sustain in the profession, the majority of his worktime remains dedicated to painting. He tries to maintain regular hours in his studio. However, after completing a piece, he often requires a day or two off, feeling exhausted and unable to pour the same energy into a new painting. "Painting demands concentration. A wrong decision, and you can ruin a piece in mere minutes. Steps in painting are irreversible. Every misstep manifests visibly on the canvas."

But painting isn't Typlt's sole passion. Unknown to many, he is also the lyricist and lead vocalist for WWW Neurobeat. Co-formed with his high school mate and rapper, Ondřej Anděra, WWW Neurobeat has become a significant part of his life. To him, this role holds immense importance because "the instant feedback you receive as a lead vocalist during a performance is something one doesn't experience as a painter. A painter hides behind their artwork; the audience doesn't even need to know what they looks like." WWW Neurobeat, known for their poetic and vivid imagery, draws many young art enthusiasts, many of whom also frequent Typlt's exhibitions.

Finally, for Typlt, family and children hold paramount importance. "Becoming a parent allowed me to paint my crying child, as I could infuse the accompanying energy into the artwork," he mentioned. Today, viewers of his art often tell him that the "Cries" series resonates deeply with them, as they too have experienced moments of feeling helpless in the face of a child's inconsolable tears. Regarding the "Cries" series, he has stated that, as a father of three, he has certainly experienced the cacophony of an infant's cry: "I realized the defense reflex in babies, they're utterly vulnerable and can only protect themselves by crying. It's an existential outburst. And the repetitive portrayal of the face is a genuine artistic method, invoking the negation of individuality."

The Enchanted Artistry: Diving into the Unconventional Vision Behind "Levitation"

"I am a painter, and I use colors the way musicians use notes. Every color is like a musical note, and a richly colored painting can transform into a symphony. When the colors are off, it's akin to a musician playing out of tune. Even the untrained eye can spot when something's amiss," said Typlt, a multifaceted artist with a foot in music and lyricism, blending his creative experiences seamlessly. His prowess with colors is unparalleled, considered one of the most adept colorists among contemporary Czech painters. Initially, each color held a conceptual meaning for him, but over time, using color became more of an intuitive or energetic perception. Sometimes, he says, color may even disconnect from the subject. A specific exhibit commentary read, "He turned upside down the surviving effect of colour relationships, taking them to levels that challenged the spectator to yet adopt them. The colour would break free from the depicted motif, infusing it with a new meaning, transubstantiating it. A single tone could gain reversible meanings from painting to painting: burning hot and freezing, hurting and healing, shocking and consoling, opening outward into space and turning inward, expanding into volume and merging with surface" In his interview with writer Karl Srp titled "On the Play of Intuition", he delved into his current intuitive nature of color usage, stating, "I do not assign any psychological interpretation to colours. That is far from my style. Rather, I internally experience the power of the colour intensity of colours. A particular colour is best sensed when contrasted to others... If I prefer one colour, I am fully overwhelmed by it." Typlt's approach transcends logic and psychoanalysis, dancing meditatively with colors, embracing them in a painterly, not merely drawn, way, exemplifying his heightened sensitivity to hues.

Typlt's penchant for bestowing individuality to colors shines through in his series of independent boy portraits. "The figure either stares into the void, in an absent way, or it has open, narrowed, or closed eyes, and the slightly tilted head arouses an impression of observing something. Colour attributed the meaning to the painting. It set a contradictory sense to one bodily stance (the green blue Sad Boy and the yellow-red The Dreaming One while retaining the same blue outline of the body) and stabilized the emotional lines of joy and dejection exceeding the artist’s will. The individuals are at the border of the personal and general, variable and permanent, exceptional and common."

In addition to his prowess in painting, Lubomír Typlt ventures into the realms of conceptual and installation art. A standout highlight of the "Levitation" exhibition is his installation series titled "Meta Machines", which includes pieces like "Bicycle" and "Hydropower Station". Echoes of these installations can be spotted in his previous paintings, and his intentional use of everyday objects is noteworthy. Typlt says, "For me, everyday objects are umbrellas, garden watering cans, bicycles. When the viewer sees something familiar from their daily life depicted in an entirely different context within a painting, they realize that creativity is an indispensable part of artistic work. I appreciate Marcel Duchamp’s readymades. I wish for art to be civilized, to be seamlessly integrated with life."

The exhibition's special issue also sheds light on the "Bicycle", highlighting its provocative and reflective nature: "Odd machines representing human beings continue the long-standing tradition of infernal creatures or fantastical animals hovering in late medieval paintings. They came back to life with a composition corresponding to the present, by a combination of two ordinary everyday objects that had a history, yet have never appeared in this innovative connection." Through this installation, Typlt metaphorically depicts the madness of human civilization and its repercussions: "to escape an apocalypse. Each of the levitating mechanisms lost its previous owner who had fallen of it long ago and was irretrievably lost. Only the last remains of the civilisation survive after the extinction of humanity that was swallowed by fallacious faith in a better future."

Lubomír Typlt is not just one of the most brilliant contemporary painters from Czech Republic, but his artistic fervor transcends boundaries, touching the realms of poetry, music composition, and installation art. With unabashed openness, he lays out his journey and the essence of his creation. Yet, underlying all this, is his steadfast belief in the societal mission of an artist. He beautifully inherits the traditions of Czech and German maestros, not just in painting techniques, but more so in his keen insights into society and human nature, employing art as a tool of societal influence.

Up next, in a group exhibition in Berlin, he is set to explore creations inspired by the genius of Vermeer. Concurrently, in Prague, he's also collaborating closely with the renowned private gallery, DSC Gallery. Let us all look forward with anticipation, as Typlt is poised to once again open the magical doors of art, guiding us into a world vibrant with colors and intriguing depths.

Lubomír Typlt Official Page


[Interview by Pierre Chiang]