Lhoták’s works from the 1940s were to be crucial for his entire oeuvre. His sensitive portrayal of reality seems to be submerged in dreams and unfulfilled memories. The painting On the Bank of 1946 is an example of this. Lhoták plays with himself and also with the viewer. The picture seem quite natural but the entire scene is very precisely delimited. A wall stands to the left and a river flows slowly in the background. The green hut suggests a motorcycle garage.

A ball lies on a bleached and yellowed patch of grass. A ball and a motorcycle. Two references to dynamics and freedom of movement, freedom that was present in the vast majority of Lhoták’s works at that time. He was a master at capturing large gestures with seemingly banal things. The painting On the Bank is somnolent and calm, yet everything conceals within it enormous latent energy.