Sea Bay

Brittany was a lifelong source of inspiration for Jan Zrzavý; one could say an obsession, a discovery of life, to which he kept returning in his memories and drew many inspirations even in his later work. Zrzavý visited Brittany for the first time in 1925, and his first impressions were unforgettable: “It was as if a beautiful and blissful dream had suddenly come true,” he wrote years later in the article Czech Landscape. He could not believe that he could ever find and see something more beautiful than this area and that he could love anything more. He gradually found several favourite places on the westernmost part of the coast, in the small ports of Camaret, Locronan, Le Fret and Kermel. In the early 1930s, however, he discovered another small island near Cape Raz, Île de Sein. He was charmed by the local virgin nature and even considered settling there permanently. At that time, there were only a few houses on the Île de Sein; no animals lived there, and no trees grew.

The presented work comes from the rare period of the early 1930s. The painter chose dreamy and even ascetically austere scenery with a dramatic rocky coast and a lonely church in the distance. In the lower right corner, a small white sailboat floats between the rocks, emphasising the endless space of the sparkling sea surface. The soft pink and beige tones contrasting with the bright blue sea create a meditative calmness, characteristic of Zrzavý’s work. This painting is thus an example of his distinctive artistic language, in which he combined elements of symbolism and lyrical dream realism. The landscape is metaphorical, allowing the beholder to immerse themselves in their thoughts and fantasies. The work was presented at the exhibitions: Exhibition of paintings and drawings by Jan Zrzavý, Umělecká beseda, Aleš Hall, 6–28 October 1930, cat. No. 26 or 27; Jan Zrzavý 1890–1977: Exhibition for the centenary of his birth, Wallenstein Riding School in Prague, 5. 12. 1990 – 3. 3. 1991, cat. No. 104) and published in the exhibition catalogue under the title Brittany (Sea) Bay (J. A. Brabcová / J. Zemina: Jan Zrzavý 1890–1977, Prague 1990, Fig. 50). The work originally comes from the famous collection of JUDr. Jaroslav Borovička. Later, it became the property of the National Gallery Prague, as evidenced by the stamp with inventory No. O 8070 on the stretcher. After the revolution, it temporarily became part of the Golden Goose Gallery collection (inv. No. 61) and until now was part of a high-quality and unique post-revolution collection. Assessed during consultations by prof. J. Zemina and PhDr. R. Michalová, Ph.D. The expertise of PhDr. K. Srp is attached.