The council of Brno announced a new competition for the equestrian statue of Jošt

Brno - An artistic competition for an equestrian statue for Moravian Square will take place again in Brno. The council announced one several years ago, but they did not like the winning design by Marius Kotrba and never commissioned the work. Now they will make a second attempt. Sculptors are to depict the Moravian margrave and Roman king John of Luxembourg. Mayor Roman Onderka (CSSD) today committed that this competition is the last concerning John. If it fails, Onderka will strive for a statue of another personality to stand in the square, he told journalists today.
     The statue is expected to cost about eight million crowns. The council set aside 210,000 crowns for the competition, which will be divided among the first three placed entries. The mayor also excluded the possibility that Kotrba's design could succeed again in the competition. "Kotrba passed away two years ago, so he cannot apply," he said. The artist already has another statue in the square - in front of the Supreme Administrative Court stands his man in a squat lifting a block from the ground. The work refers to the virtue of justice.
     Proposals will again be evaluated by councilors and experts. Onderka is not afraid that due to the failure of the first competition no one will apply. "This year we announced a competition for a statue with the theme of the Holocaust, which has a deadline of August 31. At this moment, 81 artists have applied," he stated. However, he admitted that the challenge of John’s statue is that it is to be equestrian. "Many artists have told me that today it is very complicated to find an artist who could depict an equestrian statue interestingly and in a 21st-century way," he said.
     John is to refer to the virtue of courage. Other works in the square represent other Platonic virtues - courage, wisdom, and temperance.
     The first competition for the depiction of John was concluded by the council in 2009. Experts then criticized that the council evaluates winning designs according to lay tastes. Architect Petr Hrůša told ČTK, for example, that when selecting a statue, feelings of liking and disliking must be set aside. "They (the council) cannot find themselves in it and think they will make a mistake. But the mistake is when they go the way of liking. If the council, which is composed of various professions, debates whether a brunette or a blonde is prettier, it will never come to an agreement," Hrůša stated. The architect is the author of the concept of Moravian Square.