My Country By Vilem Heckel

"...and that is the land..." they sing in the song that has become the Czech national anthem. A land of meadows, grass, trees, water and mountains, a land where history merges with our own days and surpasses mortal Man in the work of generations. It may well be for that reason that Man, having only one life, takes such firm grasp of the earth, whose life is common to all mankind. And since the earth is inhumanly large he finds a place in it which, among friends, he calls "home", and solemnly "my country".

Its image, seen, felt and heard with all the senses of the nation, is likewise engrained in the senses of all of us.

But the image is not a finished and dead one. It has roots and is constantly growing. With every child that is born and with every old woman who dies at least one wrinkle is added whereby to recognize a kindred face. And it acquires a new youthful appearance and new experiences with every personality and pronounces its name in poem, picture or music.

The picture of "my country" is the most human map of the earth. A map whose advantages do not rest in its completeness but in the intensity and truthfulness of attitude. Rivers and mountains acquire authenticity only when touched by human feelings.

Only the greatest and most sensitive among photographers can say that they really saw "their country" without it being a mere formal phrase. A country is not seen at the moment of a single happy snapshot; a country has to be earned with one's whole life.