Dear friends, I am reporting about the ten runs of painting symposium “Large Format” (1992–1996, 2001–2005). During this time 74 painters from various parts of Europe have created more than 100 pieces of art which have formed a symposium collection. They worked at the baroque horse riding hall in the Valtice castle. The symposium came into existence in the period full of enthusiasm when Europe was uniting. The beautiful Valtice region between Brno and Vienna, on the border with Austria, invited its participants to meet. During the landscape open-air symposium in 1990 I and PhDr. Jaroslav Pelikán happened to enter the horse riding hall and the space (77 × 18,5 m) fascinated us. As if it was waiting to be rediscovered. And this was an impulse to organize a meeting of painters. Since that time the horse riding hall has been the place where every July it became a huge common studio and also an exhibition hall. Large format (approximately 10 square meters) is inspired by this remarkable space. At first it seemed that it would be a meeting of several painters – friends who had decided to take a risk of work where the failure would be more apparent than with small-size pictures. But the big response and interest to participate (which has been going on until now) “make” us continue. The first cycle was finished with a printed catalogue (1997) and now we are making use of the possibilities of websites and CD. Each symposium year we offer information about the surroundings, the participants, each symposium, there are photographs of paintings, of what was happening during the symposia, and also the news, reviews and brief opinions of the participants and art theorists. The symposium will go on and we are preparing the third cycle. We are looking for a suitable way of permanent presenting of the paintings. We will be pleased if this information attracts artist, art theorists, public and those who are interested in fine art as well as those who could help us with material or money. Jan Pospíšil, December 2006