BOCHORAKOVA – 1944 Kristus

Bochorakova’s Kristus is a series of 32 wordless images illustrating the life of Christ done at a time when artists tried to avoid politically sensitive topics.

NOTE: Kristus really isn’t a story. It is a series of images illustrating a Christian story familiar to many people. Like David Beronä, I view it as an anomaly and have listed it under the Anomalies tab in this site.

• Title: Kristus – 32 drevorytu k Novemu Zakonu (translated: Christ – 32 woodcuts for the New Testament)
• Author and Illustrator: Helena Bochořáková Dittrichová
• Introduction: 3 pages by Czech creative artist, František Kubišta
• Year: 1944
• Publisher/Printer: as per the half title page “Printed and published at the cost of a Newspaper, Prague” ie appears to be anonymous.
• Place of publication: Prague
• Copyright: artist
• Size: Octavo 17.5 x 24 cm
• Dust jacket: doubtful
• Binding: hard cover
• Language: Czech titles, etc
• Paginated: unpaginated
• Printed: recto
• Edition: 30 numbered and signed as well as a Trade edition
• Release price (as per the half-title): 282K

HBD almost certainly turned to this subject in 1944 – during the occupation – because she wanted to publish something, and the work needed to not provoke the Nazi censors. In the photobooks genre, there are many similar examples; the important photographers who were not marked and deported often passed the war years by photographing churches.

This is the only wordless woodcut book to be completed and published by Bochořáková-Dittrichová during the Second World War, as, like many artists in occupied Czechoslovakia she largely avoided producing or issuing any work publicly which could result in a visit from the Gestapo. As the war drew to a close, she turned her attention to what was generally considered to be both a “safe” subject, and one which provided a theme of hope to her audience in a time of great terror. Like the photographer Jaromir Funke and others, she turned to religion. Kristus, depicts the story of Christ in (32) original woodcuts, with a preface by the artist’s friend and confidant, František Kubišta.

James Steerman, Description: as per email March 20, 2021 Steerman to Martens

German edition of Kristus??

I recall seeing a note (source I can’t recall) to the effect that Kristus was published in Czech as well as a German edition. If anyone has information about this please contact me wn@wordlessnovels.com

Kristus Limited Edition – 30 copies

• Limitation page says 30 copies on special paper are numbered and signed.
• Signed on title page as is typical of the artist, numbered on colophon
• full gray cloth boards
• woodcut title in black on front board.
• on special paper

Kristus Trade Edition

• I have no information on how many Trade copies were printed. In other cases she typically did a limited edition and then 300 Trade copies.
• Black fabric tape over hard paper boards.
• NOTE:
  • the majority of copies have tears in the fabric binding, and
  • many of the covers are bowed – it may be a function of the difficulty in getting materials and craftsmen towards the end of the war.
• A woodcut label has been pasted onto the front cover.