Czech Center Museum Houston

The Czech Center Museum Houston had the wonderful fortune this week of acquiring an etching of Rudolf II by Czech artist Oldrich Kulhanek.  Bill and Effie Rosene, founders, CEO, Chairman, volunteers extraordinaire of the Czech Center along with our irreplaceable Board Member Father Paul found this incredibly intricately detailed piece at an exhibition of Czech and Slovak artists at the University of Houston Clear Lake earlier in June, thanks to an invitation from artist and professor Sandria Hu.

You really ought to come see this good looking gentleman!

Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, was crowned the Czech king in 1576 and moving his court back to Prague, promoted the city as the imperial seat of power again.  During his reign, encompassed by an era often referred to as Prague’s Second Golden Age, Prague received it’s nickname “Magic Prague.”  Rudolf’s court attracted scientists, intellectuals and artists from all over Europe, including astronomers Tycho de Brahe and Johannes Kepler.  (information received from the official website of the Czech Republic)

If you are unfamiliar with the etching process, below are a few helpful links that go through the process.  The Czech Center is thrilled to be a patron of a  more than 500 year old history of printmaking, first popularized in the fifteenth century Northern Renaissance.

http://happyfaceschicago.blogspot.com/2009/03/printmaking-process-pasta-machine.html

http://www.wretchedetcher.com/etching-tutorial/etching-tutorial.html