Michal Novotný

MICL was born Michal Novotný on 20 February 1969 in Brno. In 1986 he trained as a wood patternmaker in Blansko. From 1990 to 1997 he studied sculpture and painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague under professors J. Načeradský, K. Nepraš and J. David. He currently lives and works in Prague and in Ledeček. He was a member of the Luxsus group and is now part of the painters’ group Natvrdlí.

MICL is a realist, but he handles reality very, very freely. In his work he tries to be funny and believes that beauty matters in a work of art. What he likes carving most are stone sculptures of men, zoomorphs and snowmen. When he paints, it is clouds, corn, melons, butterfly wings, carrots, Mercedes cars, or cows grazing near the Vltava. He also paints flying elephants, pigs and poppy flowers, his wife, his friends, their stories and his dreams, or pictures from holidays. Sometimes he comes across a subject, a situation or an idea for a sculpture weighty enough that he is too lazy to make it. Then two colours are all he needs for painting — Naples yellow and black.