Bathtub as a symbol: what was Zdenek Rykr's relationship to the New Objectivity

In their writings on Zdenek Rykr, Jindřich Chalupecký and Vojtěch Lahoda use the term New Objectivity in reference to several of his paintings from 1928 and 1929. This article examines Rykr's writings from that time in an effort to test the hypothesis of whether his paintings are a conscious reflection of the New Objectivity. That he may have been influenced by the New Objectivity has suggested itself given that he took part in a trip a group of journalists made to Germany in 1928 to attend the international Press Exhibition in Cologne. In his report from the exhibition, however, no mention is made of the New Objectivity, nor can any kind of mention be found in his other writings from this period. Rykr at this time related only to the French tradition of art. As regards Rykr's relationship to the New Objectivity, it is genuinely a matter of only a similarity on the surface and the use of a similar visual language. However, an interesting parallel with his paintings can be found in the work of the Hannover group.