In the circle of friends of Josef Loudy.

The artist mentioned in the headline is undoubtedly one of the prominent figures in 21st-century Czech photography. He has many different roles. He is a photographer of personalities, a photographer of the female form, and more. However, what sets him apart from many of his colleagues is a gift that fate bestowed upon him at birth: the ability to express himself through the written word, whether in journalistic writing or prose. His copyright mark can be found in several of his published books. Loud's authorship is also present in the edition of a unique, erotically charged novel with a captivating cover, which recently received a second edition thanks to the great interest from readers.

The aforementioned book was formally presented in Karlín, Prague, at the legendary Charleston restaurant. Here, under the guidance of the well-known host and entertainer Aleš Cibulka, a long-time friend and collaborator of Loud's from the television industry, the launch of this mystical erotic novel about the fateful encounter of a man and a woman took place. At the same time, the author's significant birthday was celebrated with friends and colleagues. Unlike the first edition, this one is supplemented with comments from prominent figures in our cultural life, such as the poet Jiří Žáček, the writer Oldřiška Tylová, and the Renaissance expert and cimrmanologist Miloň Čepelka, who, in their words, paid homage to Loud's book by symbolically tipping their hats.

A Portraitist of Life

Josef Louda (born in 1947) describes himself as a "photographer of people." He has directed his lens not only at people but also at nature, although he considers the female nude to be the pinnacle of natural beauty. He has been an independent photographer and journalist since 2000, has organized two dozen solo exhibitions, and the diversity of his creative work has earned him three victories in the "Prague Photography" competition in various categories. Experts and even casual photography enthusiasts still remember his legendary exhibition titled "Josef Louda 3N" in the spring of 2012 at the Old Town Hall, where he filled all the exhibition spaces. It is well known that this artist prefers photographic projects, which have made him famous both within and beyond the borders of the Czech Republic.

Celebrities in Frames

Josef Louda says that his life has provided him with a wealth of "material" for both literary and photographic work. At least, his collection of portraits of numerous prominent figures, primarily from the cultural sphere, was created with a specific visual framework in mind. This is the origin of the title "Celebrities in Frames." A book could be written about his subsequent, equally legendary series, displayed on large canvases (covering two walls of the Cross Hall at the Old Town Hall in Prague), titled "A Thousand Faces in the Halo." At the beginning, the idea was to "compose" the subjects of his interest so that their heads were framed by a chandelier or other light fixture, creating a halo effect. Over the years, Louda has portrayed over a thousand (!) "illuminated" personalities in this way, earning him a place in the Czech Book of Records. He was also known for his (and perhaps, above all) erotic work, which he distinguished with his photographs of women's derrieres. This successful project culminated in an exhibition titled "Vaginalia, or We've All Been There." Later, Josef Louda also translated this idea into a book of poetry, "Alluring Curves," where he illustrated the works of dozens of our leading poets, using, as he puts it, the "centerpiece" – the female derriere (the book was published in 2007 and quickly became a collector's item).

A Man of Many Talents

Louda's curriculum vitae reads like a captivating novel. The familiar saying "jack of all trades, master of none" doesn't apply to him, as he is at least rich in spirit. He has interviewed and photographed numerous interesting personalities, and these works were compiled in a publication called "Unusual Encounters," which he says gains value with the passage of time. Among those he interviewed are some of our most famous actors and actresses of the era, such as Vlastimil Brodský, just a few months before he ended his life, and Stella Zázvorková, who reflected on her acting and personal life in the interview. Sculptor Josef Nálepa recounts in his confession the circumstances under which he portrayed Salvador Dalí. The book also features other professionals, including doctors (psychiatrists, sexologists), journalists, and one hockey legend, goaltender Jiří Holeček…

The Muse Through the Eyes of the Muse

A comprehensive volume would be needed to cover Louda's body of work. He is the author of numerous cover pages for leading social magazines, articles, reports, and interviews. He has had many solo exhibitions, including his most recent one celebrating his milestone birthday at the Old Town Hall, where he filled the main exhibition hall and adjacent spaces, including a romantic cellar, with a retrospective of his lifelong work. He is also the author of the project "The Muse Through the Eyes of the Muse," in which he had the talented harpist Zbyňka Šolcová photographed in thirty-three different poses, and he himself documented her work, resulting in a touring exhibition that visited Czech galleries (the opening was at the State Opera). Eventually, this exhibition made its way to Chicago. He is also the author of the concept for the unique television documentary "The Saudek Brothers" (which a television station recently re-aired in honor of the 90th birthday of photographer Jan Saudek). Finally, it should be noted that he is a three-time winner of the "Praha Fotografická" photography competition.

Idea – Chance – Mood

Josef Louda isn't shy about sharing his recipe for a good photograph. He has his own formula, expressed by the simple 3Ns: Idea – Chance – Mood. And he adds: "All of this is contained in my photography, and therefore in the photographs themselves. Every day, in every season, I go out with my camera to meet ideas, chances, and moods. And they come to meet me. Photography and taking photographs have always been, are, and will be my passion. And, as is well known, passion manifests itself in the anticipation you feel when falling asleep, knowing that you will wake up to pursue it. Whether my images are dominated by idea, chance, or mood, that is for those who look at them to decide, because it depends on what each person wants to see. But even in these perspectives, let's remember: 'To the pure, all things are pure.'"

He is referring to the reactions of viewers to the artistic works he has created. However, this is just a small part of his creative output. He is still full of ideas, even as he approaches his eighties. He is also aware of the present day and is deeply concerned by the brutality and violence that is growing in society, even among young people, including children, as evidenced by recent cases of bullying, attacks, and similar incidents, including attacks on teachers in schools.

Therefore, he is deeply involved in a school project called "Relationships," which aims to incorporate, through collaboration with parents, schools, and psychologists, a separate subject into the school curriculum. The fact that this Loud's initiative will not remain just on paper is evidenced by the fact that he not only conceives of things, but also implements them. For example, during his seven years in Public Relations, he initiated the creation of the Nova Foundation and organized concerts for people with mental disabilities called "We Want to Live with You!", which are still held annually.

Epilogue

Josef is like mercury. He doesn't stay still; he's here one day and there the next. It's unclear how he manages to do everything, especially considering his name is Louda (which is a play on words, meaning "foolish" or "absurd" in Czech, and he's heard it many times before, but it's a nice pun). He has traveled almost all of Europe with his Nikon, a few countries in Africa, photographed Czech beauty queens in Mauritius, and lived a life in the "land of the free" in the USA. He is equally skilled in documentary photography, artistic photography, and free creative work.

What would he like to say to aspiring photographers?

Curriculum Vitae: Given that the all-knowing Wikipedia is stubbornly silent about Josef Louda, we consulted the biographical sketch at the end of the book.

Incompatible with Life: A Telegraphic Quote:

Josef Louda, born April 9, 1947, in Klatovy, holds a doctorate in philosophy and is a professional photographer and journalist. After completing a bricklaying apprenticeship, he studied at the Industrial Construction School in Plzen. After his mandatory military service, he worked as a master craftsman in his field at the Prague Road and Water Management Construction Company. Although not a member of any political party, he was subjected to political scrutiny in 1971, which led him to spend 22 years at Sběrné Suroviny (a company dealing with the collection of raw materials), where he started as a scale operator and ended up as a production and technical deputy (!). He studied psychology, sociology, and adult education remotely at Charles University. In 1993, he joined the newly established commercial television station NOVA.

At the turn of the millennium, he embarked on a career as a freelancer and quickly became a sought-after photographer and journalist. He has organized dozens of solo exhibitions and published three books. His representative catalogs of photographs, "Josef Louda 3N" and "Click: The Photography of Josef Louda," are still highly sought after and valued by collectors of artistic photography. He lives and works in the Žižkov district of Prague. Ivan Černý / gnews.cz