Jan Jedlička
Directing
Biography
Jan Jedlička was born in Prague in 1944 and studied there at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1962 to 1968. A year after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, he emigrated to Switzerland. In his work he uses various techniques and media - illustration, watercolor, photography, earth pigments, mezzotint, silkscreen and film. His ever recurring cycles explore the landscape in terms of movement and time (southern Tuscany, Ireland, Wales, or Prague), but also capture the shades of human nature and community poignantly and occasionally with an abysmal wit.
Known For
Filmed on location at the Macchiascandona restaurant, Grosseto, Italy, October 1998.
Le Cuoche
Jan Jedlička is one of the best kept secrets in the world of art. He was born in Prague in 1944 where he studied painting at the academy before immigrating to Switzerland in 1969. Petr Zaruba conveys through cinematic and formal choices the complexities of Jedlička’s creative strategies. An intertwined dialogue between two artists.
Traces of a Landscape
Filmed on location in Vignaccio, Grosseto, Italy.
Interno
Jan Jedlička has been recording the Maremma landscape for three decades with various artistic means. He has systematically studied the topography of the region from the highest points, the large, simple shapes of hills and plains, the canal systems, the clean lines of the coastline. He observes the migratory fires set by local peasants to burn their fields and grass. The elemental structure of the landscape, the colours and reflection of the water surface emerge in the ever-changing light during the day and the seasons. The sequences and arrangements of the film develop a multi-layered dialogue between the landscape and the abandoned house. In the interior spaces of the house, in the play of light and shadow, from unexpected angles, from spots on the wall or patterns on the tiles, Jedlička reveals motifs that resonate with the physiognomy of the landscape.
Echo Vocis Imago
Filmed at the St. George Basilica in Prague during the 1996 summer solstice.