Bratislava's Nedbalka Gallery Presents Exhibition of Paintings by Martin Benka

Bratislava, 7 March (TASR) - Bratislava's Nedbalka Gallery is presenting a monographic exhibition of paintings by Martin Benka, reflecting the work of one of the most important representatives of Slovak modern art, gallery director Lucia Gunisova has told TASR, adding that his work will be on display to the public until 4 June. "Martin Benka's work is an integral part of Slovak history. He managed to build something that no one before him had, and not only in terms of form. His work combines original artistic treatment influenced by a modern conception of art, with historicising elements that idealise Slovak rural society," explained Gunisova. The Nedbalka director added that Benka's lifelong endeavour was to build a Slovak myth that would help the Slovak people to establish their national identity. She pointed out that the form of the artist's work was ground-breaking in Slovakia. "Over the years, it evolved from its impressionist beginnings to a form of artistic expression specific to our geographical region, which art historians refer to as Art Nouveau decorativism," she noted. Gunisova went on to say that Benka was born into a large family. He trained as a house painter and decorator, but it was in Vienna, where he decided to seek employment, that he had the opportunity to become more familiar with art. In 1910, he moved to Prague, where he began studying at Alois Kalvoda's landscape painting school. In the early stages of his career, he was mainly influenced by Kalvoda's impressionism, but later he began to realise that it wasn't sufficient to depict Slovakia's mountainous landscape. "He gradually moved away from the impressionist method and developed his own original artistic expression," she added. am/df