Dřevoryty k Mystikům a Visionařům.: Cyklus dřevorytu z obdobi 1911-1913

Portfolio of original woodcuts by Josef Váchal

Woodcuts to Mystics and Visionaries. A Cycle of Woodcuts from the Period of 1911-1913. Folio in wrappers (21-5/8 x 15-3/8 inches), prints are 8-1/4 x 8-1/4 inches. Five woodcuts saluting the life of mystics and seers: Strom Života (The Tree of Life), Cornelius Agrippa, Jakob Boehme, Angelus Silesius and Katařina Emmerichová, all loose as issued, in paper folio with titles and artist's signature on rear cover. Each print bears Váchal's blind-stamp. These were selected from the original printing of ten images under the title Mystikové a visionaři. A number of books and catalogues attribute one image from this set to William Blake, from the mistaken attribution in the great 1994 Váchal memorial exhibition. That refers to another of the original ten and we offer it separately; please inquire. The edition itself, without note of limitation, comes from a later date than the first release in 1913 and was released sometime around 1923. This later edition suggests the selection Váchal chose as the best of the original set. Josef Vachal (1884-1969) was a Czech painter, printmaker, book artist and writer, visionary and idiosyncratic. He is sometimes called the Czech William Blake because of the parallels to the great British artist found in his poems and book making. He occupies a unique place in Czech modern culture. He celebrated Pagan, magical and alchemical traditions with intense spirituality and burning social criticism. An outsider all of his life, he was recognized as an Artist of Merit by the state in his last year as a small token of esteem. OCLC locates two institutional holding worldwide (Thomas Fischer Toronto, Northwestern Univ).