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Cubismwas

a 20th centuryavant-gardeart

movement,

pioneered by Pablo

Picasso and

Georges Braque,

that revolutionized

Europeanpaintingand sculpture, and

inspired related

movements in

music and

literature. The first

branch of cubism,

known asAnalytic

Cubism, was both

radical and

influential as a

short but highly significant art movement between 1908 and

1911 in France. In its second phase, Synthetic Cubism

, the

movement spread and remained vital until around 1919, when

the Surrealist movement gained popularity.

Englishart historian Douglas Cooper describes three phases of

Cubism in his seminal bookThe Cubist Epoch. According to

Cooper there wasEarly Cubism, (from 1906-1908) during

which time the movement was initially developed in the

studios of Picasso and Braque; the second phase being called

High Cubism, (from 1909 to 1914) during which time Juan

Gris emerged as an important exponent; and finally Cooper

referred toLate Cubism (from 1914 to 1921) as the last phase

of Cubism as a radical avant-garde movement.[1]

Josef Chochol (December 13, 1880, Psek- July 6,

1956, Prague

) was a Czech architect.

Chocol studied architecture at the polytechnic in Prague (1908-

24), then at the academy in Vienna, under guidance ofOtto

Wagner(1907-09). He was one of three significant Cubist

architects, together with Pavel Jankand Josef Gor; all three

were members of the Mnes Union of Fine Arts.

Three buildings he designed (1913) in Vyehrad (part of

Prague) are considered masterworks of cubist architecture. In

1914 he abandoned the Cubist style and began working in the

internationally oriented constructivist style. Most of his other

designs (cubist factory, theater) were admired but never

realized.

Chochol was also active in politics: he was a founding member

of the Left Front organisation and the Association of Socialist

Architects, and was the only one of the Czech Cubists with

strong political views.

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Hodek ApartmentsCubist house in Vyehrad, Prague, Czech Republic

The change from the academic national style that prevailed in

Prague at the turn of the century to the modern style of the

1930's happen in several stages and passed through several

uniquely Czech periods of architectural development. The

"Purists" of the early 1920's experimented with a plain,

undecorated style with elementary forms, simple windows, and

traces of classicism. Czech "Cubism", a name adopted by a

group of young Czech painters acquainted with the cubism of

Picasso and Braque, experimented with their own designs (that

had little to do with the analytical cubism of Picasso and

Braque) of rhythmical grids, points on a fractured surface and

jagged forms. Pavel Jank, a Prague architect who had contact

with these ideas, started applying "Pyramidal cubism",

decorative applications of slanted facets, folds and fractures to

his building facades. The best example of Czech Cubism is this

little apartment building by Josef Chocol, built just before

WWI.

Hodek was built at the edge of an older quarter of Prague and

20th century districts to the south. Located at an acute corner

on a sloping site, this modest block of small flats exhibits some

of the detail qualities of the late "Cubist" style. The geometric

faceted spandrels and cornice, some of the angular details at

the door and ground floor windows, and the otherwise plain

undecorated character of the exterior walls are all typical cubist

details. The overall classical disposition of the facades on both

streets is overlaid with a clear structural grid. The recessed

porches at the corner suggest a spatial dimension to the cubistpalette. A small shop occupies the corner at the ground floor.

There are four tiny one and two room flats at each floor

grouped around a rear stair and service zone along the entrance

hall.

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Czech Cubism was a curiosity more that it was a full-blown

architectural style. It was very short-lived, lasting only about 5

years, but occupied an important position between Secessionist

and Functionalist values and occurs at the same time as other

similar European groups such as Wendingen, Futurism and

German Expressionism. While there was some expectation that

Cubism would lead to a new style, Karel Teige referred to it as

"nothing but a romantic architectural utopia" As an example of

housing, it remains a curious introduction to, and perhaps a

necessary transitional movement, to the Functionalist era that

followed after WWI.

Hodek Apartments

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House of the BlackMadonna

House of the Black Madonna

TheHouse of the BlackMadonna

is a cubist building in the"Old Town" area ofPrague, Czech republic. It was designed by

Josef Gor. It is currently in use as a small museum of

Cubism and is open to the public.

The House of the Black Madonna (U Cerne Matky Bozi),

sometimes referred to as Black Mother of the Lord, was

designed and built between 1911 and 1912 on the corner of

Celetna Street and Ovocny trh. Josef Gocar built this house as

the first example of cubist architecture in Prague and it remains

probably the most celebrated. Even without historical details of

the Baroque building surrounding it, the House at the Black

Madonna maintains the atmosphere of the neighborhood. The

house was given its name by the stone sculpture that originally

adorned one of the two Baroque buildings on the same lot.

After many years altered use in the interwar period and under

communist rule, the house was closed in January 2002 and re-

opened after extensive restoration in November 2003.

Gocar designed this house in mid-1911 at the age of 31 for the

wholesale merchant Frantisek Josef Herbst. Mr. Herbst chose

Gocar to build his department store in Old Town along the old

coronation route because of the architects earlier success with

a similar shop in Jaromer (sp) build in 1909-1911. Because of

this prominent position within the heart of the city, Gocars

building was subject to strict harmonization rules that

demanded the department store not conflict with its historical

setting. It uses the language of baroque architecture in the

cubist forms which exemplifies the contextualization of

cubist architecture.

Gocars first plans were not well received by Lubos Jeabek

who oversaw the historical-buildings authority in Bohemia.

Subsequent designs incorporated more cubist features into the

building; the Prague City Council eventually approved the

plans on August 4th, 1911. In fact, his early modernist

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