Antonín Kašpar
Antonín Kašpar completed his studies at the Secondary School of Applied Art in Turnov, branch – artist
blacksmith, later on at the Secondary School of Applied Art in Prague, branch – wood carver; in 1982,
he graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. The author is represented
in many public as well as private collections all over the world (e.g. the U.S., Russia, Japan, Germany,
Finland, England, Denmark, the Netherlands) and in the Czech Republic. Antonín Kašpar regularly
organizes exhibitions in the Czech Republic and abroad.
THE LAST SUPPER
DEINSTALLED
I have been thinking about the theme of the Last Supper for two and a half years. I was tempted by the attempt to express in sculpture that moment in which two so contradictory things come together - the awareness of what is about to happen and the apparent calm of the meal ceremony. But all the ideas were too descriptive. Until I made a double sculpture called "Chair for Joseph Beuys" ( photo at www.kaspar-sculptures.cz). It's two exactly the same chairs with crosses for backs, facing each other and allowing Beyus to come in, sit down and talk to himself. I then used this double sculpture as a basis for the drawings of "The Last Supper", which consists of 13 identical chairs that are only dimensionally different from Beuys'.
Thirteen chairs with crosses for backs was the beginning. But it was only the removal of the table that gave this 13-piece installation meaning and moved me to where I wanted to be in the expression of the idea. I mean, in this case it wasn't so much about the food, but more about the dialogue between the diners.
In the installation, there are 6 pairs of chairs facing each other and the last one, the 13th, in the front. They are all the same, and it is not clear whether the one at the head is Jesus, Judas or anyone else the viewer can imagine.
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