Author Original Gallery

Tell us about yourself, not as an artist, but as a person.

I was very troubled in my youth. That's probably why I have such a close and close relationship with Kafka. I was tormented by feelings of guilt and also that I was doing everything wrong. I was haunted by the questions "Why?", "What for?" I think every young person has experienced that. Only later did I discover that I wasn't living by the rules set by my upbringing and the society of the time. I realized that it was only right to live by different rules. And I lived to see it!

Are there any situations from your early childhood that influenced you and pushed you into the world of painting?

My early childhood was beautiful! A big library at home, lots of records with music, paintings... My grandfather painted, my uncle was an academic painter, there was a quartet playing twice a week at home. It was great!

How do you evaluate your time as a student? Are there any turning points or particularly vivid memories from this time that have further shaped your work in painting?

My great-uncle was a Fanta architect, so my parents decided that I would do the Building Industry. I have never known anything worse! Geometry, physics, the field of "Concrete" - just the name was scary. But we also had a class at Kecup's (he had a very red face) Poster making. He had a credo: Seven lines and I'm out of here. He taught us to be minimalist.

And then I went to the Conservatory, and that was great! Professor Feld taught me analysis, and that helped me a lot with my painting. And he also once said: Beethoven knew how to write the next note, the one the listener wants to hear. The bell was ringing, and I don't think the listeners noticed him very much, but I remembered the phrase.

Suddenly there was an accident - I lost my right hand. I was in bed for a year and didn't know how to go on. I read how Astrid Lingren started writing when she was sick and how Julio Iglesias started singing after the accident. And that's how I got into writing. I started reading and analyzing other people's lyrics. Analysis was suddenly very useful to me.

And so I could write, first short stories and radio plays. Without the nerves of live performances and traveling to gigs.

At what point did you arrive at your own style? Which artists have influenced you?

You find your own style at the end of your life's work. Looking at other people's paintings first and then trying to replicate. Today we have the great advantage of YouTube, you can watch films of painters in their studios in peace and comfort. You start to look at the colours you like, and which might appeal to the viewer. My beloved Miró, at the end of his life, painted only white surfaces. He was already slowly thinking about the road ahead. I'd like to paint in colour for a long time to come. And then Pollock - many would say they would have painted that too. Well, let them try it - and they'll be happy! And besides, he was the first. A genius!

Tell us a bit about working with gallerists and about important exhibitions you'd like to highlight for yourself.

Good and enthusiastic gallerists should be cherished and preceded by every painter. Kiss their hands! A painter creates and is usually not interested in or amused by the "down-to-earth" merry-go-round of money. And most importantly, he doesn't know how to do it. A good gallerist is a servant, he helps the impractical artist to make himself visible and also to earn money for paint and food. Those shamans who put up a clothes pin and call it an exhibition, there are plenty of those, but the viewer recognizes and sees through it. I'm lucky enough to work with two gallerists who treat me beautifully.

Marcel with his golden wife, he gave me my first chance once. He was the first to take my work seriously and start helping me. And that's something you don't forget.

They gave me a beautiful exhibition in Neratovice - imagine: all my book prints on the first floor and three rooms of canvases and chamber works on the ground floor. Fortunately, my wife and niece helped me with the installation, something I could never have done. There was also a nice exhibition in the Drama Club, a little more intimate. Some exhibitions, for example in České Budějovice, I didn't even manage to attend. The pace of life is quite fast. I hope that the viewer will at least calm down with my paintings.

You can see the artist's works in his portfolio: https://originalgallery.com/autori/jan-kamenicek

Curator of Original Gallery Anželika Sítníková

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"Invitation to the exhibition: Jan Kameníček - Colour Fair at Original Gallery"

Friends of art, beware! We have an exciting and interactive experience for you. Jan Kameníček, a well-known screenwriter, writer, but also a talented painter, is holding an exhibition in Semily at the Original Gallery, 446 Pavol Tigrid Square. The exhibition is held as part of the "Fair of Colours" project.

The exhibition opened on 27 January and will run until 9 February 2024 from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, admission is completely free. This is a great opportunity to view the artist's work, incorporating the abstract style that Jan Kameníček uses in his work. His works are an expression of his boundless imagination and his ability to express his emotions and thoughts through his color palette and unconventional forms. Here you will find excellent abstract works in 80 x 80, 90 x 90 and 100 x 100 cm formats, which are simply fascinating in their size.

And what else? We have a unique offer for you: sit among the paintings on display, take a book and enjoy your feelings or emotions with a glass of delicious Portuguese wine right in the gallery.

So don't hesitate, come and enjoy the unique atmosphere of the "Fair of Colours" exhibition. Let yourself be invited into a world where colours, shapes and emotions create unique works of art.

We will be happy to see you in the Original Gallery, where you can get to know the world of Jan Kameníček and be fascinated by his colourful universe.