An important sculptor from the Czech Republic, Maria Bartuszová (24/04/1936, Prague – 22/12/1996, Košice) lived and created works of art from the beginning of 60s until her untimely death in Košice. She studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture & Design in Prague, specialising in ceramics and porcelain under professor Otto Eckert from 1956 to 1961. From the beginning of her career, she focused on the development of the distinctive legacy of abstract sculpture, which has gained immense attention over the last decade in both her home country and abroad. After her short-lived interest in geometry a more intensive research into organic and biological shapes (patterns) and the physical properties of matter began to dominate her creations. Bartuszová found inspiration in nature and its principles. A plaster cast Untitled (1980 – 1989) which is depicted on postage stamp from the collection of the Slovak National Gallery is representative of an open series of her small-size works in her prime, which was also the final period of her sculpting. On the FDC is depicted Little shell-relief  (1958) from the collection of the East Slovak Gallery in Košice. A series of ovoid (egg-shaped) patterns was created through plaster casting using different rubber moulds (e.g. balloons). The author named the technique pneumatic moulding. The sculptures evoke an egg shape with its related meanings − birth, foetus, shelter, foundation, beginning, the secret of life… Both the small and large sculptures that resemble egg shells are perforated to give a labyrinth of inside space within the thin walls. The round shape and white colour of the plaster give the impression of fragility, softness, light, purity, vulnerability, and even an unearthly character. The game of light and shadow is important – the contrast between negative and positive volumes, internal and external spaces. Sculptures have their own inner world. They fascinate us with the magic of the secrets of life and death. The physical fragility of the shells can be viewed as a metaphor for the vulnerability of our existence. As Bartuszová wrote in her notes “…a small empty space full of small endless universes…”

                                                                                                                                                                                Vladimíra Büngerová