Miloš Spurný (1922-1979)

THE END OF THE FLOODPLAIN FORESTS

1970`s
Photo-collage made of 8 parts: vintage gelatin silver prints on glossy paper. 664x251 mm. Artist`s stamps, attributed in ballpoint by artist`s wife Věra Spurná: "Miloš Spurný: Konec lužních lesů - oblast pod Pavlovem 70. léta (8x snímek)". This dark surreal work is not only an example of artistic visions of Miloš Spurný, but also, above all, a strong criticism of the communist land management. Miloš Spurný, doctor of natural sciences, criticized the way of landscape management especially in Bohemian Moravian Highlands and South Moravia. He was a big opponent of straightening of watercourses and the devastation of naturally meandering riverbeds (captured in the photographic cycle Sbohem staré řeky). He also considered the floodplain forests, especially around Mušov, as an extraordinary biotope and strongly condemned the creation of Novomlýnská dam. He documented the devastation of the natural landscape since the late 1960`s and has become one of the first European environmentalists - photographers. Condition B.