Czech Architects: In the Footsteps of Ladislav Machoň, from Cubism to Functionalism
His luxurious buildings have a personal touch – even those made for public orders such as Švanda’s Theatre in Smíchov, which has elements of cubism. The national decorativism style can then be found in tenant blocks in Bubeneč in Korunovační street as well as in Královské Vinohrady.
His smaller works made for individual persons are also interesting. He beautified the luxurious villa part of Ořechovka with the villas for the Čapek brothers, architect Alois Kubíček, sculptor Otakar Španiel and others. This work was significantly influenced by Jan Kotěra, whose studio he supervised for 8 years. The villa district in Baba is then accentuated by his luxurious house for Ferdinand Špíšek.
Another interesting architectural project was the construction of apartment houses for the less wealthy in Žižkov, called the Domov building. He also designed rabbit hutches and a chicken yard there.
The fateful luxurious project of Ladislav Machoň
This would be the redevelopment of the Klementinum baroque hall in Prague. Machoň’s task was to renovate the historical building, and with a bit of courage he decided to also add a modern hall with a neoclassicist style into this building complex.
The automaton from 1932
This is a remarkable and luxurious building for its specific purpose – the architect managed to build a new type of dining room. This is a reaction to the accelerating speed of life in the 1st half of the 20th century, when there was less time to have a calm lunch while chatting with friends. The area was fully functional, had ample amounts of light, and was positively colored. Operation was mechanized as much as possible, allowing visitors to have a quick and problem-free meal in the center of the city.
An artist with many faces
Ladislav Machoň was a member of Manesa, he traveled and also worked abroad. He was also an artist with a great national pride; he participated in the Prague uprising and was subsequently jailed. He received partial artistic rehabilitation in 1968, when he received the Merited Artist Award.
