Beginnings

The onset was in Italy

Storylines and situations that change the life of an individual come unexpectedly. Three years ago a keen amateur artist Petr Vlach (born in 1969, lives in Polná near Jihlava), learned that there will be held next international exhibition of contemporary art Human Right in northern Rovereto. He sent the organizer a large canvas entitled „Prisoner“. The jury accepted the work. By the spring of 2013, when the exhibition was opened, his ambitious and successfuly developing artistic track had begun. He became a member of the Union of Artists of the Czech Republic, its Association of Fine Artists of Vysočina in Jihlava. He donated the „Prisoner“ painting to the permanent exhibition of Rovereto's Foundation called Opera Campana dei Caduti. The Human Rights exhibition in 2014 was organized at the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War. It was subtitled From War To Peace. Vlach participated for the second time. He presented the "Life" painting with a striking surface destruction evocating war frustration.

Then in autumn of 2014 he boldly presented a collection of three dozens of large paintings with the general title "Blueberries" in a representative historic Gustav Mahler hotel interior in Jihlava. And he was represented for the third time in Rovereto in 2015. He sent a provocative painting - assemblage in the style of New Realism called "Devoured By Neckties" - for the international exhibition with a subtitle La casa della Pace (House of Peace). It expresses the influence of senior political leaders on peace and war happenings everywhere in the world and the utter helplessness of a common man. With the mixed media effect is here represented a visually appealing iconic piece of artistic composition. At the level of interpretation it is very significant in terms of political and humanely participation and unique in the whole catalogue of Vlach's works. The other two smaller solo exhibitions of visual collections at the Kruh Gallery Trebic and Synagogue Museum Polná showed Vlach's artistic direction towards individuality of expression on the principle of contemporary access to new realism.
 

Petr Vlach wasn't influenced by any lessons. He arrived at the place where he is now by subjective paths of knowledge. He spanned the pitfalls by strong will and passion. He doesn't hide the ambition to continue self-education through the creative art with a vision of defining himself for the most part in subjective painterly expression. He revives the ideas and practices of New Realism artists in his own way on the basis of mediated visual lessons on the art of Gérard Deschamps.

With the lapse of time, in other social contexts and in the context of other incoming ideas Vlach works (often with grace) with other materials - aggregating painted pleated fabrics (he hasn't abandoned painting style) fragments of clothing. He also uses intersecting lines of ropes and twine in his works. In some embodiments he raises the topic from the rawness to the subdued level of poetry

                                                          Jan Dočekal, art historian and cultural publicist.