“He was sending a message to future generations”: Artist Hynek Martinec on Jan Palach’s legacy

A painting of the death mask of Jan Palach was unveiled on Friday at a memorial to the young man who set himself on fire in connection with the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia that began on August 21, 1968. The work is by the UK-resident visual artist Hynek Martinec, who attended the presentation ceremony in Všetaty, the Central Bohemian village where Palach grew up. I spoke to him beforehand.