Still Life with a Guinea Fowl

This remarkable still life comes from a rich and diverse cultural period in Czechoslovakia full of experiments, in which traditional artistic elements intermingled with avant-garde trends. It also reflects the dynamics of the new republic and its efforts to establish a modern national identity. During these years, Filla was almost exclusively concerned with still lifes. Around 1922–23, his style changed significantly for a short time, deviating from cubism towards the desire to depict immediate reality. We can also see the influence of historical painting, which he clung to during his Dutch exile and never completely abandoned. Although he created an allusion to a historical scene with a touch of romantic nostalgia in this painting, he presented a different visual experience that does not copy or imitate the past; on the contrary, he was the architect of an autonomous artistic achievement. The central motif is a hanging guinea fowl, reminiscent of a still life with a snowy owl by Karel Purkyně. In contrast to Purkyně’s sparingly rendered work, a rich composition composed of delicacies that only wealthier people could afford, such as a jar with homemade conserve, a gingerbread heart as a souvenir from the fair, fresh fruit and a liqueur carafe appeared in Filla’s painting. He rendered the scene in soft shades of grey, beige and ochre, evoking a home-like intimacy and expressive power. Filla’s still lifes are a kind of narrative library of things in which we can read and find new connections.

The work was presented at the LXXXI Exhibition of SVU Mánes in 1924 (Municipal House, Prague, October–November 1924, cat. No. 65); the Founders of Modern Czech Art exhibition in 1957 (Brno House of Art, 6. 10. – 3. 11. 1957, cat. No. 62) and at its reprise in the Prague Castle Riding School (Founders of Modern Czech Art, Prague Castle Riding School, March–May 1958, cat. No. 62). It was reproduced in the artist’s comprehensive monograph (V. Lahoda: Emil Filla, Prague 2007, p. 278, fig. 275) and exhibited and reproduced in Sotheby’s catalogues: Impressionist and Modern Paintings, Drawings, Watercolours and Sculpture, 21 February 1990, p. 151, cat. No. 68; Sotheby’s: Impressionist and Modern Art, 20 June 2013, p. 119, cat. No. 363. Nowadays, it belongs to a high-quality and unique post-revolution collection. Authenticity has been verified by the Filla Foundation, and the painting will be listed in the upcoming inventory of Filla’s work. Assessed during consultations by PhDr. R. Michalová, Ph.D., and Mgr. T. Mátl Donné. The expertise of PhDr. K. Srp is attached.