Polibek (Hradčany) Sculpture

Welcome to this extraordinary work of art in Hradčany. You are standing in front of a conservation sandstone sculpture that bears the name Kiss. In a quiet environment around you, this beautiful sculpture is held, capturing a naked man and a woman at a moment of deep and passionate kiss. Take a closer look at the fine shapes that come alive before you from the stone, and let the atmosphere of emotion and human proximity that the author has put into this work.

Let's look at how this remarkable work was created and what its historical context is. The author of the sculpture is an important Czech sculptor Josef Mařatka. The first version of this work was created in nineteen hundred and nine, during his creative stay, when he was strongly influenced by a famous French sculptor named Auguste Rodin. The Mary carried these stimuli into her own manuscript and after many years of work he completed the final form of this sculpture in nineteen hundred twenty-one. Originally, this work was intended for another place, namely the Letenské orchards, but today we admire it here.

Now pay attention to the architecture itself and the details that you can see right in front of you. The whole sculpture reaches an impressive height of two and a half meters and is set in a well-thought-out whole. The architecture of the pedestal on which this sandstone sculpture stands was designed by another great creator of the time, the great Czech architect Jan Kotěra. Note how firm and elegant the base carries the entire weight of the stone work and how together they form a harmonious whole.

When you look at the characters of a man and a woman, you see that the author didn't just create a simple depiction of people, but he put a deep impression of feeling in the stone. Josef Mařatka designed this statue as an artistic interpretation, which is designed to give the viewer a sense of complete proximity and passion. The whole work is an example of masterwork with sandstone, where hard material under the hands of an artist gained the softness of the human body.

The history of this place and work is linked to the great personalities of Czech and world art. Josef Mařatka was one of the most prominent figures of our sculpture in the early twentieth century. His teacher and the great model Auguste Rodin influenced a whole generation of artists, but few were able to take over these stimuli as sensitively as the Marytes themselves. The cooperation with architect Jan Kotera then added a perfect spatial framework. The fact that already in nineteenth hundred and fifty-eight, this sculpture is of great value is also evidenced by the fact that it has received official monument protection to be preserved for all future generations.

The interesting thing is that although we admire this work today in this beautiful environment, its path to permanent placement was not entirely straightforward. The originally intended location in the Letenské orchards eventually changed and the statue found its home elsewhere. It is fascinating to think that the first ideas and sketches on this topic were created at the very beginning of the twentieth century and it took the author twelve years to settle the last details into the final form of nineteen hundred twenty-one.

I hope this view of Kiss brought you new experiences and helped you better understand the beauty of this place. Now you can walk around in peace, see the details from different angles and enjoy the atmosphere of Hradčan. Thank you for your attention and I wish you a wonderful rest of the day on the next discovery of our monuments. Goodbye.