Elements Inside Us. Catastrophe and Its Reflection in the 19th Century Culture

A human being and the society face to face to the catastrophe – this is the constant theme present in the Czech culture and also the theme of the 36th year of the Pilsen inter-disciplinary symposium dedicated to the issues of the 19th century. The exhibition accompanying the traditional festival reflects the phenomenon of natural catastrophes and their perception in the developing industrial society, whose consequences we bear up to now. The works of art by Mikoláš Aleš, Julius Mařák, Antonín Mánes, Josef Navrátil, Jaroslav Panuška together with a wide array of visually impressive documents of that time – photographs, graphics, film projections – show the ways that the artists and the society used face to face to the unexpectedly destroyed human need of security and safety.