About this artwork
This was the first painting Kokoschka completed in London, after fleeing Czechoslovakia in 1938. Painted from memory, it features the famous view of Prague with the old Charles Bridge and cathedral in the background. The pair of lovers near the shore is thought to be Kokoschka and his future wife Olda. In a reference to Kokoschka's emigration, the couple are being beckoned into a boat. A face resembling that of Kokoschka is displayed on the billboard to the right. In this painting the artist is expressing his grief for the loss of his home country.
Updated before 2020
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artist:
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title:Prague, Nostalgia
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date created:1938
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materials:Oil on canvas
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measurements:56.00 x 76.00 cm; Framed: 74.90 x 95.30 x 7.60 cm / 14.00 kg
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object type:
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credit line:Accepted by HM Government in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 2000
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accession number:GMA 4322
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gallery:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Oskar Kokoschka
Oskar Kokoschka
Kokoschka studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Vienna from 1905 to 1909, where he also worked for the Wiener Werkstätte (Viennese Workshops). Although his early work was part of the 'art nouveau' movement in Vienna, he soon developed into Austria's leading expressionist painter,...