New Artworks Inspired by Cycling in our Gallery

Juraj Ďuriš is a contemporary new-generation Slovakian artist who likes to interweave reality with abstract paintings and shapes. His specific style inspired by graffiti and advertising visuals is easily recognisable. His work includes portraits as well as various still-life paintings and scenes, including those of cyclists. In the Sport in Art Gallery, you can choose one of his two large-format paintings from the Save our Souls series.

Another newcomer to our gallery is the Brno-based photographer Roman Franc, who focuses primarily on staged photography. We have included one of his works, entitled Record Holders on the Racetrack (Rekordmani na dráze) in our online gallery, which has even been included in the collection of the US Congress. The central figure in the picture is a former sprinter and record holder in standing on a stationary bicycle, who is currently an owner of a museum of cycling. In addition, Franc also created an extensive series of the oldest generation of Sokol members. He used to work on projects with the Václav Havel presidential office and is currently a teacher at the Institute of Creative Photography in Opava, and is the adopted son of Black Horse, the shaman of the Navaho tribe.

A collection inspired by cycling must of course include Ondřej Kohout. The painter incorporates elements of sarcastic, intelligent humour into his paintings that prevents his works from becoming illustrated anecdotes. You can choose from three of his cycling canvases in the gallery, titled Mouse Loving Cyclist (Myši milující cyklista), Inappropriately Dressed Tandem (Nevhodně oblečený tandem) or Pink-Sighted Cyclist (Růžově vidící cyklista).

If you consider yourself to be a fan of abstract art, you will probably be drawn to the storm of colour that is the work of young artist Karel Štědrý. In our cycling collection, we can find two of his paintings called Rotation (Rotace) and Fork (Vidlice), which are part of his extensive Mandala series. Štědrý describes his paintings: "The inspiration for this series came from profane Indian mandalas, which have a circular base symbolising the universe. When making the paintings, I deliberately used complicated structures of overlapping and layering forms over each other to at least approach the laboriousness and perfection of the original mandalas and to recognize to some extent the meditative aspect associated with concentrated and focused work that emerges through the process of creating brightly coloured and complex compositions. It was important to realise the different nature of the two approaches and conceptual points related to the existence of the individual with what defines them socially and culturally and at the same time determines their nature through a close connection to their place of origin."

Jitka Petrášová also appears in our cycling selection with a smaller format, an acrylic painting aptly titled Cyclist (Cyklista), together with Alena Anderlová and her painting Rider (Jezdec). Neither work is larger than 40 x 30 cm.

Klára Sedlo is also included with her two oil paintings. She is an unmissable painter of the youngest contemporary generation, who once again leads us into her dreamy worlds populated with figures and symbols. Among the works by this artist, there is even a circular painting titled Cyclist in the Deep Forest (Cyklista v hlubokém lese), or another work called We All Have an Inner Cyclist (Každý máme vnitřního cyklistu).

David Mazanec and his painting Wheels (Kola) will enchant us with a geometric repetitive scene. Mazanec's work is typical for the use of large-scale canvases depicting figures following a clear rhythm and order, which may resemble codes in an encrypted message. In contrast, the background of the paintings is abstract and gestural. David Mazanec's paintings always work with active imagination, movement, situational action and colour.

Pavel Šmíd, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in the painting atelier of Prof. Sopek and co-founder of the group Přirození, leads us into the past with his painting Blue Curtain (Modrý závěs).

Feel You Inside, Never Look Away and Feeling the Memory, are titles of works by Marek Nenutil, aka Openmindz360°, featuring figures of cyclists. His oil paintings are dominated by a black-and-white palette enriched with a kind of rainbow aura. Although they are sports-themed, the paintings with their mysterious figures have a surrealistic touch, The athletes seem to reveal a dream world that is somehow internally familiar to us.

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ll works inspired not only by cycling can be found in the online gallery Sport in Art.