Unique fountain "Czech Musicians": Allegory of great rivers in a sculptural composition in the very center of Prague

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the very center of Prague, on Senovazhnaya Square, a stunningly beautiful fountain has been built - "Czech Musicians", which is one of the most outstanding sculptural structures in the world. According to the sculptor's idea, each figure of the musician, with his face hidden under the ribbons of fabric, carries a mysterious symbolic meaning.

It is difficult to call this masterpiece of stone and bronze a full-fledged fountain, since the composition of water jets is formed by only a few streams of different heights beating upwards. An unusual highlight in this creation is the sculptural frame, consisting of four bronze figures of musicians, frozen bizarre poses. They are so perfect and magnificent in their dynamics that they amaze even a sophisticated viewer. The very construction of the unique fountain and the reservoir were designed by the sculptor Jan Wagner, and the author of the stunning sculptures of the musicians is the famous artist of Czech origin from Austria, sculptor Anna Chromi (1940).

Along the rivers of all earthly continents

Each of the bronze figures of the fountain's sculptural composition is unique and attractive for its symbolic meaning and the meaning that the famous artist Anna Chromi laid in them. She expressed all emotions with passionate lively poses of musicians who are symbols of world rivers.

Danube river

First, we see a graceful girl with a violin in her hands, whose beautiful figure is bent and tense like a string. She is absorbed in an irrepressible passion, which a real musician gives herself entirely to when playing her favorite instrument. The figure of this girl, as conceived by the sculptor, personifies the Danube River - one of the longest rivers in Europe, just as beautiful and stately.

Mississippi river

A running musician with a trumpet raised to his lips is relaxed in his movements. An extraordinary dynamic emphasizes his persistence and masculine strength. This sculpture is the personification of the Mississippi River in North America with its mighty waters and an unusually wide channel.

Ganges river

The dancing young musician with a mandolin in his hand carries the dynamics of fun and enthusiasm. His movement is, as it were, torn from the very culmination of the infectious dance. The man's hand seems to float, and his legs strike the rhythm. This figure symbolizes the characteristic river Ganges.

Amazon river

The sculpture of a woman playing the flute seems vulnerable and at the same time very persistent. Standing on the toe of one leg, she balances, bending the other. Surprisingly, the body is bent so that it seems she is ready to jump off the pedestal at any second. This cheeky look epitomizes the South American Amazon River.

Nile river

The muscular and strong figure of a man trying to free himself from the golden fetters is set outside the composition of the fountain. He is trying with all his might to extricate himself from them or to break the burden that fetters his freedom. This is an allegory of the African Nile River.

The interesting thing about the sculptures is that we do not see the faces of the musicians (except for the figure of the Nile), they are shrouded in a kind of mystery in the form of cloth bandages. These flowing ribbons of fabric symbolize rivers flowing through naked bodies, which are organic and eloquent in their movements. Blindfolds and tools in the hands symbolize boundless freedom within the invariably rigid framework that encloses modern society around the planet. As well as the mighty rivers flowing purely in their banks.

Anna Chromie and her sculptures

Anna Chromie was born in Bohemia (Czech Republic) in 1940. In the mid-40s, her family moved to Austria. Anna developed her talent as an artist herself, since her parents did not have the means to pay for her education at an art school. And only after getting married and moving to Paris, Anna received an art education at the School of Luxury Arts. It was here that her craving for surrealism manifested itself. A large number of paintings of the surrealist direction came out from under her brush. She considered the great artist Salvador Dali to be her teacher.

After a car accident in 1992, having miraculously survived, Anna Chromie could not paint her paintings for eight years. She directed all her talent and hard work to sculptural works. Her own sculpting technique turned bronze and marble into masterpieces of world art.

The impressions of the works by Anna Chromie are a gamut of indescribable feelings and emotions that remain with a person for life. Despite her age, and she is already 77 years old, Anna still creates her stunning sculptures with amazing skill and hard work. elegant European style. Each of her creations conquers the imagination with its grace and elegance. And at the same time, the mathematical calculation in the balance of the sculptural composition is surprising. All figures, having a lot of weight, look almost weightless.

One of the most famous works of Anna Chromie - Cloak of conscience installed in Prague at the entrance to the Estates Theater. What mystical and mysterious essence this sculpture carries, see the review "Cloak of Conscience" - a symbol of the immaterial spirit: History hiding under an empty cloak.