Brno Autumn 2018

The Autumn Knives Exhibition in Brno, Czech Republic, held on the 17th of September 2018, was a busy and very pleasant event. It also was a great opportunity to compare the styles from Czech, Slovakian and Hungarian knife makers.
 
Text and pictures: Martin Helebrant

 

   

September 17 is a national holiday in the Czech Republic and it was the first sub-zero day of the autumn. It was still night and the cold bit my cheeks when I started my way to the Brno autumn knife exhibition and to my great surprise a bird’s song rang through the early dawn. The bus was warm and I fell asleep, sleeping almost the entire way to Brno. I woke up just in time to enjoy the last few sights of the hoar covered countryside. The traditional venue of the Brno exhibition is only few minutes away from the bus station and a sharp walk with fresh air definitely erased the sleep from my eyes.

 

 

The New Town hall Via Cruciata ambits were full of knife makers, but as soon as I moved from the entrance lobby to my usual “photographic corner” I noticed an unusual absence of many Moravian knife makers. On the other hand, the representation of Slovak and Hungarian masters balanced the small number of locals quite well. There were 25 Czechs and Moravians, 18 Slovaks, 6 Ukrainians, 5 Hungarians, 2 Poles and 1 Russian. In fact, foreigners were in a surprising majority with 32 to 25.  Even the crowd was different this time. Usually there is a morning peak of visitors, when the corridors are almost unpassable followed by a slow afternoon where many of the exhibitors enjoy something tasty to eat and drink. This year’s morning wave was smaller but the stream of visitors came in steadily and uninterrupted almost until the very last moments of the exhibition. I can’t properly explain the reason behind this phenomenon. Although, it could simply have been the result of the national holiday.

 

 

When comparing the exhibited knives there is, in my opinion, a difference between the style of Moravian (and Czech of course) knives and the Slovak and Hungarian ones. What was exhibited seems to indicate (and I am not claiming it to be representative sample, but definitely an indication) that the high grade Slovakian knives are much more ornamental, sometimes they are straight sculpted objects that can also be used also for cutting, rather than decorated cutting tools.

 

 

The Slovakian knives very often have a hidden story inside, something you pick up during your education that will explain the details of the knife. Historical or religious topics are popular. An excellent example of this style are the knives of Arpád Bojtos, whose folders ‘Mercury and Fortuna’ and ‘Apollo and Daphne’ have their origin in myths. Every cut by the chisel or draw of the file was guided by these myths. To fully appreciate the quality, you have to know the myths and study the details carefully. And Bojtos isn’t the only one. Look at the work of Boris Schuster, whose work fascinates me with its ornate baroque-like plethora of precise details and playful design.

 

The Moravians and Czechs are more functionally inclined. Function usually comes first, the object is the knife first and only afterwards can it be an artistic object. The craftsman perfection is promoted to the level of an art. Look at the work of Jaromír Čech, one of the leading Czech masters. Or you can look at the knives presented in the stand of the Center of craftsmanship education, made by one of the teachers there, Mr. D. Kranz. The Czechs simply seem to prefer a little bit more purist, or reversed approach than Slovaks– carefully tuned lines that provide function and are only then upgraded with the decorative work.

 

 

In the case of the Hungarians, I had only limited number of samples to “study” but it seems to me that there is a preference for almost ascetic aesthetics of pure, clean lines and function. Look at the kitchen knives of Joszef Jeneses where the pattern of the Damascus steel is the one and only (and for me perfectly sufficient) decoration. Another example of this almost Japanese sobriety but perfectionist designs are knives of Sandor Gábor.
I am not saying that the aforementioned are rules without exception. Knife making is a melting pot of styles and minds, each master has his own individual preferences and characteristic aspects put into his knives.
In between the tables of knife makers was a table of Grigoryi Verezhnikov from the Ukraine. He did not offer complete knives but only the blades. He is a dedicated blacksmith of highest degree and his mosaic Damascus is worth recognition. His qualities are recognized within the Czech knife making society and some leading masters are using Verezhnikov blades as a base of their knives.

 

 

Last but not least, this exhibition gave two tables to two schools – one was the Center of Craftsmanship education from Uherský Brod, an educational institution related to the Česká Zbrojovka firearms factory. The second was the High School of Artistic Crafts from Jablonec nad Nisou. The first one is prepares personnel primarily for the technicalities of production and the maintenance of firearms. Knife making isn’t the main scope but evidently it is a welcome amendment to the main curriculum of the school. The results on display were very good. The second school, from Jablonec is primarily focused on engraving, jewelry and bijouterie design and the making and minting of medals. They presented their skills with samples of decoration of serially produced knives - again this is the complementary part of the engraver’s education. On their table guests could try the basics of the engraving and many of the visitors did so.

    

Like every year, the organizers lead by Mr Maďarič issued many awards. The main selected ones are:
 
The Lord mayor of Brno Award: Arpád Bojtoš, SK
The best of the exhibition: Richard Chromý,  SK
The best engraver of the exhibition: Štefan Albert, SK
The best design: Attila Kertész, HU
The best freshman of the exhibition: High school of artistic crafts from Jablonec nad Nisou, CZ
The visitor’s award: Grigoryi Verezhnikov , UA
 
I was leaving Brno with a feeling that this was an extraordinary exhibition. A little bit relaxed and easy, but truly international, very informative in terms of comparison of Czech and Slovak knife makers. A pleasant affair indeed.