Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová

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Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová in her studio, 1923

Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová (born July 31, 1894 in Vyškov , Moravia ; died March 28, 1980 in Brno , Czechoslovakia ) was a Czech book illustrator , wood cutter and painter. It is regarded as the first author of a picture novel ( graphic novel ).

Career

Bochořáková-Dittrichová was born into a middle-class family in Vyškov , Moravia . She grew up in the nearby Haná and moved with her family to Brno in 1913 , where, apart from studying and traveling, she lived until her death in 1980.

From 1919 she studied painting and drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague . After graduation, she received a grant from the Ministry of Education to study modern printing in Paris . There she discovered the woodcut novels by the Belgian artist Frans Masereel , who greatly influenced her future work.

From 1924 to 1930 Bochořáková-Dittrichová exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon and also had exhibitions in Antwerp (1925), Philadelphia (1926), Zurich (1927), Buenos Aires (1928) and Vienna (1934). Until the outbreak of World War II, she traveled through Europe, Russia and the United States.

She died in Brno at the age of 85. She is considered one of the leading Czech printmakers and book illustrators. Her works are exhibited in collections of the Czech Republic, including the Moravian Gallery in Brno, the Vyskovska Museum, the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and the Brno City Museum.

Influences

Bochořáková-Dittrichová was influenced by the Flemish artist Frans Masereel while studying in Paris . Masereel and others dealt with oppression and social injustice in their works. In contrast, Bochořáková-Dittrichová's works portrayed the everyday life of middle-class families, which was similar to their own life and origins.

Major works

Her first work Z Mého Dětství ( From My Childhood ) was published in 1929 and is considered to be the first graphic novel (picture novel ) written by a woman . The book tells the life story of a young, well-protected girl named Helli, her pranks, accidents, family stories up to the first year of school and is told entirely through woodcuts, which are supplemented by brief descriptions. The book was later published by the British bookstore and gallery A. Zwemmer with an edition of 300 copies. Her second major work, Malířka Na Cestách ( The Painter on Her Journey ) was not published and consists of 52 woodcuts, also with strongly autobiographical features.

Catalog raisonné

Visual novels

  • Z Mého Dětství / From my childhood (1929)
  • Z života TG Masaryka / From the life of TG Masaryk (1930)
  • Dřevoryty z USA / Woodcuts from the USA (1933)
  • Dojmy z SSSR / Impressions from the USSR (1934)
  • Indiáni jindy a dnes / Indians then and now (1934)
  • Mezi dvěma oceány: dojmy z cesty po Spojených státech amerických / Between two oceans: impressions from a trip to the United States (1936)
  • Švédové před Brnem / Sweden in Brno (1936)
  • Kristus: 32 dřevorytů k Novému zákonu / Christ: 32 woodcuts from the New Testament (1944)
  • Nalomená větev / A Broken Branch (1947)
  • Rozkol / The Division (1948)
  • Příboj: román ze 17. století / surf: a novel from the 17th century (1946)
  • Oslavanské povstání: dřevoryty: Dva cykly dřevorytů k prosincovým událostem roku 1920 na Rosicko-Oslavansku / The Oslavany Uprising: Woodcuts: Two cycles of woodcuts to commemorate the events of 1920 in Rosice-Oslavany (1960)
  • Uprostřed proudu / In the middle of the stream (1967)
  • Smršť nad Žuráněm / Whirlwind over Žuráň (1969)
  • Malířka Na Cestách / The painter on her journey (1930, unpublished)

Woodcuts

  • Poklad / Schatz (5 woodcuts, 1920)
  • Válka / Krieg (4 linocuts , 1922)
  • Kristus / Christ (5 woodcuts, 1922)
  • Hříchy / Sins (5 woodcuts, 1923)
  • Cain / Cain (3 woodcuts, 1923)
  • Zaslíbená zemé / The Promised Land (5 woodcuts, 1923)
  • Kristus, II. Cycle / Christ, second cycle (5 woodcuts, 1923)
  • Z Versailles / From Versailles (3 woodcuts, 1933)
  • Oslavany (5 woodcuts, 1924)
  • Bloudící / Going Astray (3 linocuts, 1924)
  • Vyškov (6 woodcuts, 1924)
  • Marnotratný syn / The Prodigal Son (3 woodcuts, 1924)
  • Povstání / The Uprising (6 woodcuts, 1925)
  • Stavba zemského domu / Building a country house (7 woodcuts, 1925)
  • Zahrada snů / Garden of Dreams (6 drypoint , 1925)
  • Pohádky / Märchen (5 woodcuts in color, 1926)
  • Venezia / Venice (6 woodblock prints, 1926)
  • Déti / Children (28 drawings, 1927)
  • Brno (6 drypoint etchings, 1928)
  • Brno (4 color linocuts, 1928)
  • Brno (7 woodblock prints, 1928)
  • Třinec (5 woodblock prints, 1929)
  • New York (6 woodcuts, 1932)
  • Z Nového Mexika / From New Mexico (8 woodcuts, 1933)
  • U sv. Antonícka / St. Antonstag (5 woodcuts, 1936)
  • Na Zakarpatské Rusi / In Zakarpattia Oblast (4 woodcuts, 1938)
  • Brno po náletech / Brno after the bombing (3 drypoint etchings , 1959)
  • Přehrada / Reservoir (8 drypoint etchings, 1960)
  • Stavby socialismu / Building Socialism (5 sheets, 1960)
  • Z veletrhu / From the fair (5 woodcuts, 1962)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Amy Elkins: Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017 ; accessed on December 23, 2017 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová. In: guthriephotos.com. Accessed December 23, 2017 .
  3. ↑ David Juga: Tlumočnice vzrušeného Davu. In: casopis.hostbrno.cz. Retrieved December 23, 2017 (Czech).
  4. ↑ a b c David Beronä: Artists Without Authors. (PDF) In: www.sternandfaye.com. Accessed December 23, 2017 .
  5. ↑ a b Bringing an Artist to Light | NEA. In: www.arts.gov. Accessed December 23, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Z mého dětství: Dřevoryty. In: Moravská zemská knihovna. Retrieved December 23, 2017 (Czech).
  7. ↑ Meet The World's First Woman Graphic Novelist. In: The Huffington Post. May 26, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2017 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bochořáková-Dittrichová, Helena
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech book illustrator, wood cutter and painter
DATE OF BIRTH July 31, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Vyškov , Moravia
DATE OF DEATH March 28, 1980
Place of death Brno , Czechoslovakia