Still Life: Modern Chess Under Predation Press
15 STILL LIFE CHESS PIECES OF ART.
What is the meaning of modern chess?
"Just to take control over sixteen unoccupied central squares, and the two central horizontals. Art of chess has long ago been reduced to struggle for space. So following that logic, he who knows how to take up and use space is a chess pro, while he who doesn’t is an amateur.
"Chess has lost its creative component. It is no more the game it used to be fifty years ago. The primacy of struggle for space has led to the fact that chess ceased to be a game. Formerly, chess was entertainment to people of culture who played it in their free time. After chess has been reduced to a mere struggle for space, culture is no more relevant.
"You may watch an interesting theatrical performance, or perhaps you leave the theater after a few minutes. In the past chess was sort of intriguing, pieces somehow get engaged and performance begins. Each actor puts forward his plan, mounts challenge, shows boldness. But only the result is important now. The relationship between chess players have turned into a relationship between the boxers before a fight. They both stage various acts of psychological intimidation. Most importantly, everything the leading chess players have to study to get there has long been known in the special literature."
Wow, no inhibitions, straight from the heart. This was the late GM David Bronstein in the forgotten 2003 interview I translated from the Russian magazine Ogonek and that I am going to present in full in one of the upcoming posts.
Meanwhile, let us take a look at 15 pieces of art, 15 still life creations that should remind us what art is, creation, imagination, investigation, culmination. Something chess (partly) used to be. Sadly, having completely lost that component, modern chess has got a cold metallic life, insensate and resistless in crushing the creative and artistic side out of men, what the post's image may best be showing.
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CHESS AS STILL LIFE
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Bela KONTULY (1904 – 1983, Hungarian), Still life with chess board and statuette 1930-40
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2. Willem Elisa ROELOFS, Jr. (1874 - 1940, Dutch), Still life with Chinese chess pieces
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3. Robert KOHL (1891 – 1944, Austrian), Kleines stilleben mit schachbrett
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4. Ronald POWER (1914 - 1989, British), Still life with chequered board
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5. Sinisa LABUS (1971, Serbian), Mrtva priroda (Still life)
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6. Steven-Paul ROBERT (1896 – 1985, Swiss), Stillleben mit Schachbrett, Muscheln und Vase, 1948
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7. Béla KADAR (1877 - 1956, Hungarian), Still-life with chessboard and pipe
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8. Jean JOVENAU (1888 - ?, French), Still-life with a cat
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9. Oswald EICHINGER (1915 - ?, German), Chess still-life
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10. Manuel Domínguez (1954, Spanish)
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11. Val BYRNE (1936, Irish), Check Mate
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12. Eva ZUR, Martwa natura z szachami i szkłem (Still life with chess and glass)
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13. Herbert Davis RICHTER (1874 – 1955, British) So much beauty. 1947
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14. Jean-Pierre ALAUX (1925, French) Bouquet with chessboard
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15. Marko Celebonovic (1902 - 1986, Serbian), Chess, 1933
