This is a large mural painted on the outer wall of a university faculty building. The wall belongs to a vertical structure that houses a staircase or elevator shaft. This structure protrudes above the flat roofline of the main part of the building, making it visually prominent. It has a cylindrical shape and is several stories tall. The mural covers the entire curved surface of this structure, from the red-brick base near ground level to the upper edge of the cylinder.
The rest of the building is lower in height and has a rectangular form. It contains lecture halls and classrooms. It features a flat façade with regularly spaced rectangular windows in light-colored frames.
The mural follows a vertical orientation and matches the tall, rounded surface of the shaft. The artwork features two main figures: a lynx in the foreground and a heron positioned behind it. Both figures are shown in profile, but look in opposite directions. The lynx is painted on the lower and central part of the mural, while the heron stretches from behind it all the way to the top edge of the wall. The overall arrangement is symmetrical and centrally aligned.
The whole mural is painted in a slightly synthetic form. The main mean of expression here is color, which is laid freely on large surfaces. The artist builds the depth of the figures by differentiating colors tonally. The details are rendered with free lines, but there are no black lines, contours.
The lynx is the most prominent figure in the mural. It is placed in the central and lower portion of the composition. The lynx is shown in a seated position, with its body turned in profile toward the left. The back is slightly arched, the front legs are straight and placed vertically, and the hind legs are folded naturally beneath the body. While the body is oriented to the left, the lynx’s head is turned back and, facing to the right The lynx’s fur is painted in cool tones, primarily light blue, turquoise, and white. White areas appear on the chest, face, and lower parts of the legs, while turquoise and blue cover the rest of the body. Black and dark blue markings are placed across the surface in decorative arrangements: spots on the legs and torso, and short lines or stripes on the face and ears. Lynx’s facial features are clearly defined and symmetrical. It has large, pointed ears with dark tufts at the tips. The ears are upright and outlined in black. The eyes are wide and almond-shaped, painted in bright yellow with dark pupils and a black outline. The lynx’s gaze is directed to the right. The nose is small and dark, and the mouth is outlined with a subtle, curved line.
A small yellow crown is placed on top of the lynx’s head. It consists of four short triangular points and is centered symmetrically. The crown is rendered only in line, it looks like a sketch. This makes it stand out from the rest of the image.
Around the lynx’s neck is a wide necklace, painted in a flat golden-yellow tone. It consists of several short triangular pieces arranged in a horizontal row. In the center of the necklace is a round medallion or pendant. In its center is depicted the symbol of a pink five-petal Schwarzenberg rose. The medallion is placed over the chest and aligned vertically with the body.
The heron is the second main figure in the mural. It is positioned directly behind the lynx and occupies the central and upper sections of the mural’s vertical composition. The heron appears tall and slender, rising from behind the lynx and extending almost to the top edge of the wall. The heron’s coloration is primarily purple. The neck and head are painted in a lighter shade of purple, while the body and wing are darker. The difference in tone separates the body parts clearly.
The heron is shown in a left-facing profile, with its body standing upright and its long neck stretching vertically. The neck curves gently forward near the top in an “S”-like shape. Its posture is calm and stable. Although the legs are not visible, the body and neck suggest a standing position.
The heron’s head is small and narrow, with a long, straight beak that extends forward in a horizontal line. The beak is orange and sharply tapered, contrasting clearly with the purples used for the rest of the bird. The eye is circular and painted bright yellow, with a black pupil in the center. It is located just behind the base of the beak, close to the top of the head, and is outlined to ensure clarity.
The background is light pink. The artist painted trunks of leafless trees there. The trunks are arranged evenly and in two shades, which adds depth to the image. The top edge of the mural is an ornament made of white and light green triangles that intertwine. The light green ones are set at the top and have a purple dot in the middle, each of them.
With this mural the author would like to convey a message of caring, belonging, sharing and connection. Today more than ever we are unquestionably facing an environmental crisis that unfortunately affects the entire globe, which is why she decided to represent these animals within the project. The wall destined for the painting is part of the university of biology and she thinks it is good that it is a university that is hosting it because within it lies research, the study of the environment and the future. New generations coming out of these studies will have the opportunity to improve our world. In the mural we find a European lynx, unfortunately endangered, but which is protected in Bohemia and is one of the few places in Europe that still exists. The mural is also showing a white heron, typical of our area. Both animals have necklaces that seem to belong to another, ancient civilisation, they are symbols of an imaginary past where humanity and nature went in the same direction, they are an invitation to dig deep within ourselves and rediscover harmony with our wild side. On the right we find a catfish, because the fishing tradition in the Czech Republic is very long-lived and well-protected, there are various courses on the subject at the university, so it seemed appropriate to include it. As a background to all this, we find a beech forest (graphic, to make the characters stand out), in Bohemia there are beech forests unique in Europe. In addition to the forest we find other lush plants framing the mural.