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Color wood engraving on Japanese paper (unframed). Josef Váchal excelled as an original artist especially in the technique of color woodblock prints, which earned him acclaim at exhibitions in Cologne and Florence. This distinctive Symbolist-based artist was a member of Sursum, an art group whose artists also addressed Expressionist impulses. Váchal was particularly known as an artist who created unique books and prints. His original skill as a visual storyteller arose from his anxiety, his fear of the unknown and diary records of his visual and auditory hallucinations at night. Throughout his life he fluctuated between faith and heresy, reflecting his captivation with spirituality, the occult and theosophy in his art. Initially he published notebooks of drawings and manuscripts, which demonstrated his artistic and literary talent.