The Black Rose Passage (or) The Kingdom of Flowers

Artist Marie Brozova recalls her public drawing event in Prague's Black Rose Passage.

I returned to the Black Rose Passage in Prague after two years, and it was the third public drawing in a row that summer. I felt like a marathon runner.

Originally I had a different, more difficult idea for this drawing in my mind, but when I was supposed to start, I decided to change the subject, because I felt too tired. I chose to make a drawing full of colors that would please people in summer mood and "recharge my own batteries", as we say in Czech.

It proved to be a very good decision, warm colors in my drawing revived my physical resources, but also made many people happy, who were sad because they had to stay in Prague's tropically hot streets. It was a medicine of yellow, orange and red tulips forming a whole kingdom of flowers, including, of course, the symbolic black rose.

Two years ago in the Black Rose Passage my project was at its beginning, it was only the second public drawing and it attracted my first unexpected attention. This time I could see the progress in the publicity of the project, because many people came from distant places to see me work, they greeted my drawings as if they were old friends, and some people told me, that I became part of their lives, because my drawings reside with them in their living rooms.

My public drawing coincided by chance with an odd symposium of reputed sculpters showing their works in Prague center, in Wencesslas square and also Na Prikope near the Black Rose passage. These places were all flooded with strange industrial debris and sanitary ware (toilets, bathtubs, urinals) exposed on poles.

The title of this symposium was Dialogues with the City, and it was held under the patronage of thePrague magistrate and the city mayor. This cycle of outdoor exhibitions made many people angry, wondering what nonsense can be proclaimed art, when you have enough audacity, publicity and university degrees.

These angry visitors came to relax at my exhibition. They often told me they were glad to find someone who values beauty in art. But then I informed them, that my work is very despised by some art-critics, who say, that it has no artistic value; that even a naive artist should be reasonable enough to leave the colored pencils to children, and use more respectable techniques instead. That made them angry again.

I happened to meet many exceptional people, who think that fantasy is a very important part of human life. I remember a short man, who invented toys, games and coloring books for children. He had no children of his own, but he worked for his friends’ children, he constructed weird machines and decorated playrooms of their dreams. He loved fantasy movies and cartoons, and often visited movie theaters. He was sad to see children quiet at funny scenes, but laughing aloud at violence and brutality.

He asked me if I had the same experience. I could only tell him, that many children asked me what was wrong with them. -When they tried to read a book, they couldn’t imagine anything beyond the words. I think that people need enough empty space somewhere deep inside them, an empty room inviting the imagination and inspiration. And that seems to be very difficult nowadays, when even the dark corners of our mind are flooded with unwanted information yelling from all directions.

This alarming subject reoccurred, when an elegant lady (who did not look like a granny, but had four grandchildren) told me an interesting story. She had her grandsons all gathered at her place, and tried to read them from Exupery’s Little Prince. Her grandsons were not accustomed to reading, so they were eager to experience something new. But the reading stopped at the first chapter, when the Small Prince asks the pilot to draw him a picture of a lamb. And he is very demanding; he doesn’t like the sketches of the lamb because they are too old, too sick, too angry… And the youngest grandson cried annoyingly: "That would really piss me off." And the poor granny realized how difficult it will be one day for this generation to maintain relationships.

On the occasion of the production of the DVD about my work I visited after a long absence, my natal Prague quarter, Zizkov, where I spent the happiest part of my childhood. There were chamomiles and grass growing wild among the cobble stones and pavement, the street with my natal house looked friendly, like countryside. Seeing those well known places, I could recall my memories, and the golden sunset changed the shabby houses in Seifertova street into a seaside resort. Shooting exteriors for the DVD was made a bit complicated by a group of gypsy children dominating Kostnicke Square.

But my husband with his long teaching experience won these little criminals over by giving them responsibility. He promised they would play very important roles in the document, and they were so enthusiastic that they pretended to be well-behaved, even hushed one another to be really quiet.

One small detail in the drawing brought special attention and was constantly discussed. It pictured a small winged elf, sitting in the lotus position, meditating, while a girl-elf is making funny gestures at him from above. I would like to add something to the discussion about the differences between men and women too. I can see the difference especially in the concept of truth. Men see the truth as a choice between yes and no. Women see the meaning of truth in a larger perspective, they ask about the outcome of this decision; they scrutinize the quality coming out of such matters. Quality is the most important issue for them.

Try to imagine a spiritual man, trying to talk a woman into being more spiritual. This woman is listening to him, smiling patiently, because she finds him handsome and attractive. If the man knew it, he would get very angry with her. He would think he was wasting his time and energy. But a woman is a creative being and she is able to transform his beauty into a piece of art that will influence a great many other people, as well as the visions and messages of this spiritual man.

A woman sees truth as a circle, not as a fork between wrong and right.