Echt – The Art of Jan Merta

Name: Echt – The Art of Jan Merta
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2025-04-30
Cast: Jan Merta, Lenka Mertová

A documentary about contemporary Czech painter Jan Merta, whose journey to a new exhibition involves not only working on new works, but also coping with personal and global problems – often through ordinary activities, such as shoveling compost.

Echt – Film o malíři Janu Mertovi

Tomáš Merta

Czechia 2024

Czech

English

73 min.

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This film is available in the following territories: Czechia, Slovakia.

Videos

1 min

Echt – The Art of Jan Merta (trailer)

Echt – The Art of Jan Merta

About

Jan Merta (1952) is currently one of the most important Czech visual artists. In his painting work, shaped by the postmodernism of the 1980s, he leans towards abstract abbreviation and symbolic depiction of reality through everyday objects. The film is a snapshot of his life filled with painting, working in his garden and cohabitation with his partner. The civilian camera follows Merta as he prepares an exhibition for which he attempts to create new works. However, his engagement with the current geopolitical situation enters into the work, as well as the discovery of new compositional principles and creative otherworldliness that co-create his enchanted personal world.

Credits

Director: Tomáš Merta

Screenplay: Tomáš Merta

Cinematography: Tomáš Merta

Music: Soňa Jelínková, Tomáš Merta, Dominik Dolejší

Sound: Dominik Dolejší

Editing: Tomáš Merta, Soňa Jelínková

Producer: Tomáš Michálek, Martina Netíková

Co-production: Zdeněk Sklenář

Cast: Jan Merta, Lenka Mertová

Awards