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The Legend František Novák

March 12 — March 17, 2016

František Novák was born in 1977 and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague from 2009 to 2015. He lives and works in Třešť, Jihlava and Prague.

“When František first came to apply at the academy, he couldn’t get the doors open and there was no one at the reception desk, which he took as a sign and so went back home. He only tried again after ten years. This time the doors were open, and he got in!”

“František has such strong manly hands and forearms, and I sometimes would compliment him on this as he was washing dishes.”

“I know that modesty, in his case, is a sign of something much greater.”

“He works at a shelter, and for many years he has been making life-size portraits of homeless people. In doing this he at once opens up for his models the world of art, he offers them a way to earn a little money, and he gives them dignity. It seems like a wonderfully poignant concept. And then he told me that he is somewhat uncomfortable about this, feeling as though he may be taking advantage of the situation … ”

“I can see that František is superior to me in every way. I feel like a self-indulgent, self-centered little boy. Please, František, I say to him, tell me at least that you’ve torn the wings off a fly or tried to cut a worm in half! Only it would probably be more that he fed a tiny bird that fell out of its nest.”

“He studied to be a tailor, and his class was filled entirely with women. He probably had his own harem there. But it seems that he gained some special insight (maybe even a terrifying one, for a guy) into the female mind.