In his humorously staged portraits, Franc presents the senior members of the Sokol organization from Brno and New York, aimlessly trying to sustain the gradually fading glory of the Pan-Slavic physical education movement. This movement was once widespread not only in Czechoslovakia but also in many other countries, attracting tens of thousands of Sokol members and hundreds of thousands of viewers to the legendary Sokol festivals. However, times have changed and today’s young people have different interests than exercising in the Sokol gym. Franc’s photographs capture several levels. They celebrate individuals who, despite their age, maintain good physical and mental condition, proudly upholding the national traditions of the Czechs and other Slavic nations. However, there is also a significant amount of absurdity, grotesqueness, and humor in the photographs (sometimes reminiscent of Chekhovian “humor through tears”) as well as a palpable sense of nostalgia and sadness for something that is apparently unavoidably passing away. The photographs are superbly staged; the portrayed people mostly gaze directly into the lens and, through the camera, into the eyes of the viewers. The scenes are not cluttered with unnecessary details. Some objects – the Czechoslovak flag, dumbbells, a dingy washbasin – seem to carry significant symbolic meanings. The contrasts between light and shadows are also crucial, as is, of course, the technical quality of the photographs.
prof. PhDr. Vladimír Birgus