Josef Duchan (*1970) studied graphic design and restoration at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. His distinctive style shows a sensitive development of the concepts of his university professors Dalibor Chatrný and Vladimír Kokolia. Over the last quarter of a century, Duchan has undergone a dynamic evolution. He has come from his original subtly symbolist portraits to psychedelic ornamental paintings that recall the patterns of oriental carpets or the ritual paintings of the Australian Aborigines. In recent years his painting has radically liberated itself and settled into generous expressive figurative compositions.
Duchan's main medium has always been drawing, which became his elementary need and necessity. He draws anywhere and anytime: on the train, on the tram, on the bike and in the car, while walking, in restaurants, in the cinema, at concerts... As it seems, for Josef Duchan, any surface is suitable. He draws on miniature cards, on tracing papers, on sturdy papers and cardboards, on the reverse of printed banners, on translucent foils, on metal sheets, on the broken protective glasses of smartphone screens, and car windscreens. He is drawing almost constantly, with both hands at the same time, on a board attached to an improvised table hung around his neck. He is not even watching the drawing process; the sensations flow through his hands directly onto the paper – he can draw even in the dark.
Like a tomograph, he captures the surrounding world and its changes in time: a vibrant Prague street with the panorama of Hradčany in the background, passing trams and cars, flashing traffic lights, visitors strolling through a gallery, or the landscape running past a train window.
