Josef Váchal (1884-1969)

MARY AND MARTHA

1925–1926
Colour woodcut on hand-made paper 25x24 cm (42x34 cm), recto in pencil lower right below the print area the author`s signature "J. Váchal", lower centre the title of the work "Maria a Marta" and lower left the note "Barevný dřevoryt z Postyly Kacířské/č. 6", signed lower left in print "J. Váchal". A very rare copy from Váchal`s peak period. Váchal printed this motif as part of the book Koruna bludařstva to jest Postyla kacířská. As Váchal himself states in the publishing notes, this book was printed in 16 copies and furthermore "These woodcuts were, apart from the book, printed three more times on separate sheets and the blocks were destroyed during the work"; this is therefore one of a total of three loose sheets that Váchal produced. Minor stains outside the print area. The scene captures the evangelical motif of the encounter between the spiritual and the practical world. Christ sits in the centre as the calm focal point of the scene, while Martha brings food and Mary remains at his feet, listening. Váchal emphasises the contrast between activity and contemplation, between concern for worldly matters and concentration on the Word of God. The figures are rendered without idealisation, but also without the irony typical of Váchal, with a civilian expression that brings the biblical story closer to everyday life. The nimbus around Christ`s head creates the only transcendent element in an otherwise decidedly secular interior. The sheet thus expresses the author`s conception of faith as an inner attitude, not as Pharisaic ostentation.