"Ako jednotlivé kultúry boly [i.e. boli] na seba nanášané" : pohled na ornament v díle Antonína Václavíka

Abstract

The article summarizes a critically evaluates the approach of Professor Antonín Václavík, the founder of the Department of European Ethnology at the Masaryk University in Brno, to the study of ornament in folk culture. It highlights his definition of ornament, the parts of culture he focused on (phenomenon of traditional wood-carving, folk textile in Czechoslovakia, Easter Egg decoration, traditional fireplace decoration), and interpretation of respective ornamental forms. The article also identifies his method of study of folk art in general, which interprets it strictly in context and connection with other elements of folk culture, tracking its meaning in their dynamic context. The changes ornament is viewed as a process of desacralization and gradual loss of symbolic function.