Jindřich Štreit (born 5 September 1946 in

Vsetín Vsetín () is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. Originally a small town, Vsetín has become an important centre of industrial, economic, cultural and sports life during the 20th century. Administ ...

) is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

photographer and pedagogue known for his

documentary photography Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle events or environments both significant and relevant to history and historical events as well as everyday life. It is typically undertaken as professional pho ...

. He concentrates on documenting the rural life and people of Czech villages. He is considered one of the most important exponents of Czech documentary photography.

Biography

Štreit began taking photographs in 1964, during his studies at the Pedagogical Faculty of Palacký University in

Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on t ...

. Following his graduation he worked as a teacher in

Rýmařov Rýmařov (; german: Römerstadt) is a town in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. ...

; later he became director of the school in

Sovinec Sovinec (german: Eulenburg) is a castle in Jiříkov (Bruntál District), Jiříkov of Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated on a cone-shaped hill located in the Nízký Jeseník range. History Lor ...

and Jiříkov.Moucha et al. (2006), p. 227 In addition to his profession, Štreit actively participated in public life. As a local chronicler he documented the everyday events and life of Czech villages under the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

. The photography theorist Antonín Dufek identified him as "a continuer of the tradition of old village teachers, propagators of culture and progress". Castle Sovinec

In the late 1970s, Štreit's approach to photography began to change. He studied at the ''Institut výtvarné fotografie'' (Institute of Art Photography) in Brno, led by K. O. Hrubý and Antonín Hinšt. He graduated from the Institute with a cycle of theatrical photography. At the same time he continued expanding his cycle of everyday life of the villages in the foothills of the Jeseníky Mountains. Additionally, he helped organize cultural life in the region; he participated in organizing exhibitions and concerts. In 1981, during the general elections in the former Czechoslovakia, Štreit documented the official course of the elections. In some of his photographs made during the meetings of the local authorities, the portrait of the President of Czechoslovakia appeared on photographs in very "unlikely and absurd places". A year later, in June 1982, Štreit agreed to display his works at the exhibition ''Setkání'' (The Meeting) organized in Prague by the graphic artist Alena Kučerová. After several hours, the exhibition was banned by the state police and Štreit was arrested and accused of defamation of the President and the country. He was sentenced to ten months' imprisonment with a suspended sentence of two years. As a consequence, he lost his job and was forced to earn a living at a state farm in Rýžoviště. He was banned from taking photographs, but he never respected the ban and returned to photography immediately after his release from the prison. The photography theorist Anna Fárová managed to include his works in the exhibition ''9 + 9'', visited by

Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (; 22 August 1908 – 3 August 2004) was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as cap ...

, who documented Štreit's installation and published his photos in the French newspaper ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

.'' In 1989, after the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

and subsequent democratization of Czech society, Štreit was rehabilitated and allowed to take photographs without limitations. In 2009, he was named Professor of Applied Arts by the President of the Czech Republic

Václav Klaus Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...

. As of 2010, Štreit works as a teacher at the ''Institut tvůrčí fotografie'' (

Institute of Creative Photography The Institute of Creative Photography (, ITF), also referred as ''Opava School of Photography'', is the largest post-secondary school of photography in the Czech Republic. It is part of Silesian University (Opava). It currently has more than 200 ...

of Silesian University in

Opava Opava (; german: Troppau, pl, Opawa) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Opava. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia. It was a historical capital of ...

Selected exhibitions

:1990 *''Sovinec.'' Side Gallery,

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

Sovinec by Jindrich Streit
, Amber Online. Retrieved 6 November 2010.Sovinec
, Amber Online. Retrieved 25 July 2020. :2002 *''Lidé z kraje písku''. City Gallery,

Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...

; Muvészetek Háza,

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque bui ...

(both Hungary) * Katholische Akademie,

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

(together with Adriena Šimotová) *''Vesnice je svět''. Prospekto Fotografijos Galerija,

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

; Fujifilm Fotografijos Galerija, Kaunas (both Lithuania) *''Jindřich Štreit: Dans le cadre de Bohemia Magica'', Le Château d'Eau,

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

List of exhibitions
for Štreit, Photography Now. Retrieved 6 November 2010. *''Mezi námi. Cesty života. Brána naděje'',

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

*''Fotografie''. Gallery ''Langův dům'',

Frýdek-Místek Frýdek-Místek (, pl, Frydek-Mistek; german: Friede(c)k-Mistek) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 54,000 inhabitants. The historic centres of both Frýdek and Místek are well preserved and are protecte ...

(Czech Republic) *''Za oponou''. National Museum, Prague *''Fotografie z kraje písku''. New Town Hall, Prague *''Jindřich Štreit-Tvorivé dielne na Slovensku''. Czech Centre, Bratislava :2003 *''Cesta ke svobodě''. Theatre Ludus, Bratislava *''Cesta ke svobodě''. Czabai IFIHAZ,

Békéscsaba Békéscsaba (; sk, Békešská Čaba; see also other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, the capital of Békés County. Geography Békéscsaba is located in the Great Hungarian Plain, southeast from Budap ...

(Hungary) *''Cesta ke svobodě''. Theatre Baj Pomorski,

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

(Poland) *''Lidé olomouckého okresu''. Kulturplatz,

Münsingen Münsingen ( Highest Alemannic: ''Münsige'') is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipality of Trimstein merged into Münsingen, and on 1 Jan ...

(Switzerland) *''Daleko od domova''. Czech Centre, Novorosijsk,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

*''Beziehungen.'' Fotogalerie Friedrichshain,

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

*''Das Tschechische Dorf.'' Tschechisches Zentrum / Czechpoint,

*''Interpretace''. Gallery Caesar,

(Czech Republic) *''Úcta k životu''. Church of St. Cyril and Methodius, Přerov (Czech Republic) *''Svět dětí''. Gallery Auritius,

Tábor Tábor (; german: Tabor) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. Administrative parts The followi ...

(Czech Republic) *''Cesty života''. Gallery Perseus, Olomouc *''Viděno srdcem''. Olomouc *''Lidé mého kraje''. Museum in Bruntál,

Bruntál Bruntál (; german: Freudenthal) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is located in the historical region of Czech Silesia. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected ...

:2004 *''Lidé z kraje písku''. Hungarian Cultural Centre,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

*''Vztahy''. Czech Centre,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

; Palais für aktuelle Kunst,

Glückstadt Glückstadt (; da, Lykstad) is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about northwest of Altona. Glückstadt is part of th ...

(Germany);

Neumünster Neumünster () is a city in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. With more than 79,000 registered inhabitants, it is the fourth-largest municipality in Schleswig-Holstein (behind Kiel, Lübeck and Flensburg). History The city was fi ...

(Germany) *''Lidé ledkových dolů''. Maison de l'Alsace,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

*''The Village is a Global World.'' Side Gallery,

*''Mezi námi''. Gallery ''Měsíc ve dne'',

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is t ...

(Czech Republic) *''Život na zámku''. Gallery Patro,

(Czech Republic) *''Tak blízko, tak daleko''. M.E.C.C.A.,

Terezín Terezín (; german: Theresienstadt) is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants. It is a former military fortress composed of the citadel and adjacent walled garrison town ...

(Czech Republic) *''Tak blízko, tak daleko''. Theatre, Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic) *''Tváře za zdí''. Gallery of Critics, Prague *''Lidé mého kraje''. Gallery Fiducia,

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four riv ...

; Prague :2005 *''Jindřich Štreit''. Blue Sky Gallery,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

*''Ein tschechisches Universum'', Gallery Fotoforum, Innsbruck *''Čzech Universum''. Photogallery,

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

(Italy) *''Jindřich Štreit''. Photo-Forum, Bozano *''Jindřich Štreit''. Gallery of the Parliament of Lithuania,

*''So near and yet so far: Photographs from Chechnya and Ingushia''. Gallery Vapriikki,

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

(Finland) *''Tak blízko, tak daleko''.

Museum Kampa Museum Kampa is a modern art gallery in Prague, Czech Republic, showing Central European, and in particular Czech work. The pieces are from the private collection of Meda Mládek, wife of Jan V. Mládek. The museum opened in 2003 and is housed ...

, Prague *''Vztahy''. Gallery 4,

Cheb Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German-s ...

(Czech Republic) *''Cesta k člověku''. Minorites Monastery,

(Czech Republic) *''Fotografie J. Štreita ze sbírky Moravské galerie''. Moravian Gallery, Brno :2006 *''Vztahy''. Gallery ZPAP Pryzmat,

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

*''Jindřich Štreit''. Galeria BWA,

Bielsko-Biała Bielsko-Biała (; cs, Bílsko-Bělá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-Bjoło) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...

(Poland) *''Sovinec''. Centrum Kultury Zamek, Galeria Fotografii PF,

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

*''Jindřich Štreit''.

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

*''Jindřich Štreit''.

Slovak National Gallery The Slovak National Gallery ( sk, Slovenská národná galéria, abbreviated SNG) is a network of galleries in Slovakia. It has its headquarters in Bratislava. The gallery was established by law on 29 July 1949. In Bratislava, it has its display ...

, Bratislava *''Jindřich Štreit''. House of Arts,

(Czech Republic) *''Jindřich Štreit: Fotografie, které mám rád''. Museum of Ostrava, Ostrava *''Jindřich Štreit''. Orlická galerie,

Rychnov nad Kněžnou Rychnov nad Kněžnou (; german: Reichenau an der Knieschna) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Adm ...

(Czech Republic) *''Vzpomínky''. Malá galerie,

Kladno Kladno (; german: Kladen) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 67,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the region and together with its adjacent suburban areas has a population of more than 110,000. ...

(Czech Republic) *''Jindřich Štreit''. Castle,

(Czech Republic) *''Jindřich Štreit''. Gallery Zdeněk Sklenář, Prague :2008 *''Das Dorf ist eine Welt. Fotografien.'' Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Wörlen, Passau (Germany)

Books and exhibition catalogues

*Birgus, Vladimír. ''Jindřich Štreit: Fotografie.'' Bruntál, 1980. *''14 regards sur le district de Saint-Quentin.'' 1992. . *''Vesnice Je Svet'' / ''The Village Is a Global World'' / ''Das Dorf Ist Eine Globale Welt'' / ''Un village, c'est tout en monde.'' Arcadia, 1993. . *''Der Hof: Vom Leben am Lande.'' . With Manfred Chobot. *Štreit, Jindřich. ''Japonsko: Lidé z Akagi'' / . Opava, Rychnov n.Kn., 1996. Photographs of Akagi in

Gunma Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 Square kilometre, km2 (2,456 Square mile, sq mi). Gunma P ...

, Japan. With a preface by Vlasta Čiháková-Noshiro (in four languages but not German) and a biography and information about Štreit (in four languages but not Japanese). *Štreit, Jindřich; Dufek Antonín. ''Zabavené fotografie'' / ''The Confiscated Photographs.'' Brno: Moravian Gallery, 1999. *Štreit, Jindřich; Cousin, Christophe; Wagner, Jean-Jacques. ''A coeur perdu'' / ''Touches of Heart'' / ''Doteky srdce''. Belfort: Musée d'art et d'histoire de Belfort, 1999. *Štreit, Jindřich. ''Cesta ke svobodě'' / ''The Road Towards Freedom'' / ''Weg zur Freiheit''. Bruntál: Okresní úřad, 2000. *Štreit, Jindřich. ''Brána naděje'' / ''The Gate of Hope'' / ''La porte de l'espoir'' / ''Tor der Hoffnung''. Olomouc: Arcibiskupství olomoucké, 2000. *Štreit, Jindřich; Wawrzacz, Jiří (text): ''Lidé Třineckých železáren'' / ''People of Třinec Steelworks'' / ''Die Menschen die Třinecer Hütte'' / ''Les gens de l'usine métallurgique de Třinec''. Třinec: Třinecké železárny; Moravia Steel, 2000. *''People of the Olomouc region'' / ''Lidé Olomouckého okresu.'' New York: Soho Photo; Czech Center New York, 2000. . *Štreit, Jindřich. ''Fotóhomok'' / ''Fotografie z kraje písku'' / ''Photographs from the Flatlands.'' Budapest: Budapest Galéria, 2000. . *''Jindřich Štreit ze Sovince, aneb, Kam (ne)vstoupila noha fotografova.'' Moravský Beroun: Moravská expedice, 2001. . *''Mezi námi'' / ''Among Us.'' V Sovinci: Společnost přátel umění, 2001. . *Štreit, Jindřich; Sedláček, Martin (text). ''Daleko od domova''. Brno: Nakladatelství Jaroslav Sedláček, 2002. *''Cesty života'' / ''Ways of life.'' Olomouc: Krajský úřad Olomouckého kraje, 2003. . *''Spolu'' / ''Together.'' Olomouc: Občanské sdružení SPOLU, 2003. . * ''Jindřich Štreit - Tváře za zdí'' / ''Jindřich Štreit - Faces behind the wall'' / ''Yinderehe Shitecaide - Weicheng zhi nei.'' Sedliště ve Slezsku: Lašské muzeum a galerie; Prague: Čínský kulturní institut, 2003. . *Štreit, Jindřich; Kopřiva, J.; Perunová, K. (text). ''Tak blízko, tak daleko. Čečna a Ingušsko 2003'' / ''So Close and Yet So Far. Chechnya and Ingushetia 2003'' / ''So nah und doch so fern. Tschetschenien und Ingutschien 2003''. Prague: Sdružení Česká katolická charita, 2004. *''Jindřich Štreit: Fotografie 1965-2005'' / ''Jindřich Štreit: Photographs 1965-2005.'' Prague: Kant, 2006. . *''Paměť času.'' Rýmařov: Městské muzeum v Rýmařově, 2006. . *''Identita reality.'' V Bruntále: Muzeum v Bruntále, 2007. . *''Ocelový svět'' / ''World of steel.'' Hranice: Dost, 2008. . *''Vítkovice.'' Prague: Kant, 2008. . *''Japonsko 1995 - Návraty.'' Hranice: Dost, 2008. . *''Víra a odpuštění'' / ''Faith and forgiveness.'' Ostrava: Petarda, 2008. . *''Europeans.'' Praha: Kant, 2009. . With Vladimír Birgus and Jindřich Marco.

Notes

References

External links

Village is a Global World
, Amber Online. Štreit's photographs taken in and around

Crook, County Durham Crook is a market town in the district and ceremonial county of County Durham, Northern England. The town is located on the edge of Weardale, therefore is sometimes referred to as the "Gateway to Weardale". The town is in an unparished area, ...

, c1993
Jindrich Streit Black and White photography exhibition Prague 2007
, ABC Prague. {{DEFAULTSORT:Streit, Jindrich Czech photographers Living people People from Vsetín Photography in Japan Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) 1946 births Palacký University Olomouc alumni