Monday, November 28, 2011

Brief on Brázda

Co se slovy Všechno poví, (or rough google-translation: The Words Tell You Everything) published by SNDK in Prague in 1964. It was playfully designed and illustrated by Pavel Brázda and his wife Vera Brázda and I can only presume it was considered to be a children's book. Maybe so, but the typographic illustrations and the degree of modern design and layout lead me to think this book is fit for a much older audience. Below are just a few of the 45 interior pages from this book.
:: Found at 108 Buddhas.
  






Until this book caught my eye, I had never heard of Pavel Brázda (1926- ), but I found he is a wildly prolific and imaginative artist of many styles; from a magical realism, to pop art and expressionism. Every bit an individualist, he was expelled from 3 different art acadamy's in his youth. He later attended the Higher School of Art and Design and was allowed to make a living as a so-called professional artist, but he has always carved his own path. His first large exhibition was organized in 1992 and a series of exhibitions in Prague galleries followed. A few of my most favorite works of his are the race car images below from 2003. They are reproduced from a series of paintings he made nearly 40 years earlier. You can find the editioned serigraphs for sale here.





Further explorations lead me to find the display font Brzda from Suitcase Type Foundry in Prague. It was designed specifically for a solo exhibit and book of Pavel Brázda's and it was inspired by the street motifs of his paintings. Very fine! 

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