Josef Schulz a Josef Zítek (nejen) v korespondenci

While the architect Josef Zítek was positively regarded by the emerging architectural avant-garde, his younger colleague Josef Schulz was accused of rigidity, a negative assessment that later influenced his evaluation by art historians. The frequent comparisons between these two representatives of Czech architectural historicism were based on their collaborative work, most notably the buildings of the National Theatre and the Rudolfinum (House of Artists). The initial phase of their collaboration, which began during their time at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, was of great importance for Schulz’s (and partly also Zítek’s) professional career. Upon Zítek’s return to Prague in 1864 and his appointment as a professor at the Prague Polytechnic, he engaged Schulz as his assistant. He also ensured Schulz’s professional development through both collaboration and recommendations to investors. As a true mentor, he supported him at the outset of his career with his guidance. The appendix presents the correspondence between Josef Zítek and Josef Schulz that has survived from the initial phase of their collaboration. This incomplete collection of letters is supplemented by relevant extracts from Schulz’s letters to his parents, documenting events at the Prague Polytechnic in the turbulent period of the second half of the 1860s, as well as Josef Schulz’s study trip to Italy from 1868 to 1870.