On Wednesday, November 22, 2023, in the Prague Creative Center, we organized the final lecture of this year's autumn series on visual arts in context. PhDr spoke on the topic of Josef Váchal, a painter on the front of World War Hana Klínková, who works as an archivist in the National Literature Memorial. Dr. Klínková has been working for many years. She is the co-author of several Váchal exhibitions and the author of a number of texts and publications about Josef Váchal.
In the fall of 1916, Josef Váchal was mobilized and assigned to the artillery. He served as an Austrian soldier on the southern front until the end of the war, where he witnessed the victorious Austro-German offensive in October 1917, which broke the Italian defense lines and pushed the enemy beyond the Piavu River. The miseries of military life and dramatic experiences from the front were significantly reflected in his artistic work from the war years and the following years. He embodied his memories of wartime experiences in the book Painter on the Front, which he published in 1929 accompanied by the original 42 woodcuts and 1 linocut.
Photo reportage: Petra Sinecká
