Just as color is a reflection of its relationship with the surrounding world, an artist sediments the image based on their accumulation of memories, of layers. As Otto Dix said: “Everything that is painted is a self-description.” Therefore, we must understand the propagation of color in Štěpán Zàvrel’s work as something that goes beyond its tone: as substance (earth, sand, wood, stone, plant), as surface (mountain, fog, air, river), as light (sunset, evening, morning, distance), and, most importantly, as a reflection of the movements of the soul (pain, happiness, serenity…).
It is upon these surfaces and substances that Štěpán Zàvrel’s colors reflect his memories and places, with a distinctive chromatic palette. Alongside his color palette influenced by German Expressionism or Byzantine brightness, we must also consider other influences: the mountain village and his inner life.
Here, the impact of certain themes on the artist emerges, and we see the reflection of everything around him. In the representation of interiors, where faces are dramatically lit, there is a dense palette, in contrast with the peaceful light of the outside, where the tones are warm, harmonious, and serene. It almost seems as if the gloomy spirit of the medieval room overwhelms him with its interiority, while, in contrast, the spirit opens calmly and clearly to nature, to the landscape, to the mountains, to the earth, and to the clouds.
It is the reflection of everything that comes from the place of his existence that creates the patina imprinted by Zàvrel onto his color. From there come his brick red, or his stone or sand grays, or his dried greens, or the dull violet, and especially that antique pink, which is a beautiful resonance of the light of the mountains at sunset in Montaner. Color becomes an emanation of the surroundings, which in turn shows its reverberation through the artist’s gaze and hand.
Text by Gabriel Pacheco