On the road. The mystic and the artist

in the Czech art of the first half of the twentieth century. As the mystíc I define this artist, who dedicates his entire life to searching for God- in aU of his forms. In the introduction Bejore the Start I sket ch the spiritual milieu of the tirne. In the first chapter lmages oj Gods I demonstrate the contemporary prototype of the mystical f1uctuate person comparing two artist: Rudolf Adámek and Josef Váchal, who were both deeply involved in many occultism organizations. The second chapter TheWay to the Hereafter speaks comprehensively about the movement of the spiritualism in Bohemia in those days. I focus on the artists, who actively participated in spiritual séances, often having even played the role of spiritual medium. The third chapter Th? Way to the East deals with the oriental philosophies, which thanks to the doctrine of H.P. Blavatsky entered into the lives of many Cz ech artists. They started to practise yoga, studied buddhism and meditate. The new life style inf1uenced also their art. In the last, fourth chapter Thé! Mystical Ladder I tried to describe the way of the mystic - artist step by step fr01'1 tLo, mental state of spiritual beginner to that of the enlightened person. In conc1usion I shortly compare the temperaments of the artists, whose lives and artistic works helped me to..