Novotného "Museumsberg" a poněkud "zdivočelý" Macura
Novotný’s Museumsberg and a Rather "Wild" Macura

Summary/Abstract: Art historian Veronika Rollová’s book entitled "Pražský hrad na cestě ke komunistické utopii" [Prague Castle on the Path to the Communist Utopia] (Prague, Vysoká škola uměleckoprůmyslová 2019) studies the interactions between political power, Marxist ideology and artistic creativity at Prague Castle in the first two decades of the communist regime, and represents, according to the reviewer, an important attempt to capture the place and transformations of this unique symbol on the political-geographic map of post-war Czechoslovakia. Focusing on the role of Czechoslovak presidents, in particular Antonín Novotný (1904–1975, in office 1957–1968), and the presidential office in transforming the Prague Castle site into an instrument of ideological influence over the broad masses, the author shows that the decisive role in its architectonic and artistic modifications was played mainly by historical continuity, whereas nearly all radical projects remained unimplemented. However, despite a number of useful findings and partial interpretations, according to the reviewer, the work suffers from considerable shortcomings as a result of a certain conceptual immaturity and improper use of theories of political regimes (Juan José Linz) and rather “wild” application of semiotic approaches (Vladimír Macura) in the interpretation of empirical art historical material.

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