Aphrodite’s Cup depicts explicit heterosexual activity. This makes Kuthan’s story an exception in the genre of the early wordless novels, most of which had a gravitas relating to serious social issues.
George Kuthan was born in Klatovy (S.W. Bohemia), Czechoslovakia in 1916. He was a medical student at the University of Prague when the Nazis closed it in 1939. It was at this time that he turned his attention to art, which he studied at Prague’s School of Decorative Arts (graduating 1947).
In 1947 he went to Paris on a French government scholarship and attended the graphic studio at the Ecole des Beaux Arts until 1950 when he immigrated to Canada and was introduced to Robert Reid for whom he illustrated several books.
His interest in nature is one of the several aspects of his work. As a graphic artist he illustrated books, Christmas cards and other materials using printing methods such as etching, wood-engraving, and lino-cutting.
He held numerous one-man graphic shows, including at the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. His engravings have appeared in many publications such as Kuthan’s Menagerie of Interesting Zoo Animals (1960), Vancouver: Sights and Visions (1962), Aphrodite’s Cup (1964), and Scenes from Snowbound (1970).
sfu.ca
Selected Collections
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC
University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Of interest to this site is his publication, Aphrodite’s Cup:
1976 Hurtig Publishers, a posthumous reprint.