Colour, Brightness, Contrast. Illustrations of Erben’s Kytice as Interpretations; sample of a comprehensive tex

Abstract

The paper is a sample of the author´s current intermedial research into the illustrations of Karel Jaromír Erben’s volume of ballads Kytice (1853). Visual transmediations of a literary pretext may be understood as interpretations sui generis: while illustrations reveal the individual attitude of the visual artist, the illustrated book bears traces of the conditions in which it was published. In case of a classical work such as Kytice, numerous illustrated editions inevitably reflect also the concept of cultural tradition in the period concerned. Relevant social, creative and spiritual problems and needs of the time may be projected onto the illustrations resulting in a meaning-making process related to and parallel to the textual one. The focus of this enquiry is expressed by the optical categories of colour, brightness, and contrast as related to the visual representations and traits of the pretext. Featured illustrators: Zdeněk Sklenář, Alén Diviš, Helena Konstantinová.