Bára Kahudová↓

About the work

Stone sculpture of Our Lady of Sorrows from Nová Paka, Hurdle Race by Zdeněk Němeček, Standing Knight in Armor and Helmet with Lifted Visor, Theoretical part of the diploma thesis: the reconstruction of polychrome on artificial stone

Bára Kahudová is a graduate from the Restoration of Sculpture studio. During her studies at the Academy, she mainly focused on working with stone, artificial stone and polychrome plaster. Her hitherto oeuvre clearly displays a transition from the field of free sculpture to restoration. Studying stone sculpture at the St Agnes of Bohemia Secondary School of Applied Arts in South Bohemia eventually brought her to the Academy’s studio headed by Jindřich Zeithamml. However, she soon transferred to the restoration studio in order to fully pursue this activity.

Kahudová’s diploma thesis consists of four parts – the restoration carried out on the stone statue of Our Lady of Sorrows from Nová Paka, a sculpture by Zdeněk Němeček, a plaster polychrome sculpture by Antonín Popp, and a theoretical treatise discussing the restoration of polychrome on stone sculptures.

In the case of Our Lady of Sorrows, the restoration concept envisaged that it would return to its original place in front of the Cemetery Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows in Nová Paka. It was important for the artist to consider that the work would be exposed to changing weather conditions. The monument continues to fulfill its function – the restoration took place as part of restoring its authenticity, preserving its original patina and supporting fragments of polychrome on the surface.

The subject of the theoretical part on the restoration of polychrome on stone sculptures is also related to this monument. It is a reconstruction of polychrome on a newly created statue of the halfsize Our Lady of Sorrows, made of artificial stone. In the second part of the writing, the artist focuses on retouching polychrome, which she subsequently applies onto the monument.

Another restored relic is a plaster polychrome knight by the sculptor, medalist and pedagogue Antonín Popp. It has been brought back to its function and is ready for presentation. In the future, it will be possible to work with it as one of the high-quality casts of its time.

The last work is the sculpture Hurdle Race of artificial stone by Zdeněk Němeček, who mainly pursued sports subjects, with his oeuvre oscillating between Socialist Realism and Futurism. The restoration mainly aimed at static securing and supporting the sculpture in order to allow for its future presentation.