The Way of the Cross – called Calvary is a Christian prayer by Bohunka Waageová

As is well known, the Way of the Cross, sometimes called Calvary after its destination, is a Christian prayer. It reminds believers of 14 or 15 events, i.e. stations, describing the suffering of Jesus Christ as described in the Bible. It includes the events surrounding Christ's condemnation by Pontius Pilate, the carrying of the cross along the Via Dolorosa and the crucifixion on Golgotha.

The Way of the Cross is also the name given to artistic representations of a motif that was particularly popular and revered by Catholics during the Baroque period. Individual stations were depicted by sculptors and painters, usually in the form of a series of paintings in churches. Sculptors were particularly active in the 19th century, creating works for popular pilgrimage routes lined with chapels in various landscapes. The aforementioned painting tradition was recently continued by a leading Prague painter and graphic artist with a collection of twelve colourful, numbered and signed lithographs. Her bibliophilia soon became the subject of collector's interest among lovers of fine art, which regularly intensifies in the pre-Christmas and Easter periods.

Please meet...

Bohunka Waageová was born on 29 May 1948 in Ústí nad Labem. She has lived and worked in Prague for many years. From 1963 to 1967, she studied at the Secondary School of Fine Arts in the studios of Jaroslav Kaiser and Jindřich Mahelka (painting, graphic art, free art and illustration). Her professors would certainly be proud of her. This current member of the prestigious Hollar Association of Czech Graphic Artists and the venerable Union of Fine Artists in Prague has had over a hundred solo exhibitions at home and abroad (France, Italy, Germany, Greece, etc.), and has also participated in a large number of joint art presentations. She has received numerous awards for her work. For example, Waageová is the recipient of the 1995 Masaryk Academy of Arts Award and the 2007 European Prize for Fine Art (awarded by the European Union of Arts).

Does he dream when he paints?

Or perhaps the question should be: Does she paint when she dreams? But let's not play with words. The fact is that this artist's work is known for its strong spiritual life, which is not changed by the fact that she is a „doubting Thomas“. She considers the Bible to be one of the pillars of Christian literature and one of her strongest sources of inspiration. She herself comments: „I love our country and the people who live in it. That is why I am interested in everything that unfolds in a person's life, their relationship to nature, the opposite sex, religion and the cosmos. I see the Bible primarily as a source for understanding our roots, paths, destinies and experiences. The Way of the Cross has always interested me with its dynamism, and I spent years preparing for its cycle with my ongoing painting. I try to ensure that when people look at my works, they take away a warm feeling of joy and harmony.“

A word from the art historian

However, let us give the floor to an expert in the field, art historian Jaroslav Vanča, who says in the catalogue of one of Waageová's previous exhibitions that the world of Bohunka's paintings is an environment in which colourful materials combine and weigh on each other in the manner of spiritual extensions, stimuli and forces. In terms of form and colour composition, Waageová's work appears to remain unchanged over long periods of time. However, Dr Vanča warns readers not to jump to conclusions before realising that the colour matter, light and dynamics of the painter's cosmogonic scenes are constantly changing. The paintings, including dreamlike ethereal figures, sometimes referred to as angelic, thus come to life spiritually, pulsating and penetrating the space, however defined by the classic format of graphics or frames.

An ancient tale

Regarding the aforementioned bibliophile work Křížová cesta (The Way of the Cross), which Bohunka Waageová created in colour lithography on a dozen paraphised sheets, the artist told us: „That ancient story is actually repeating itself; I would say that we already have it encoded in our genes. And that is why it keeps coming back to us in various variations. It is important to remind ourselves from time to time of that first, most important event, which runs like a red thread through our history, because people have largely forgotten it, and it is becoming increasingly relevant, especially today.“

This is one of the reasons why painter Waage recently travelled to Israel to follow in the footsteps of Jesus' sad story. Among other things, she saw a house in Jerusalem with his palm print, and with her sketchbook in hand, she walked the entire Way of the Cross to the top, where Christ was crucified. And now we have the opportunity to see the result of her artistic vision. Finally, we would like to add that this unique collection was published by Globus International as the 14th volume of the Miraculum Octavum Mundi edition in Kutná Hora, as a collector's bibliophile item signed by the painter.

Ivan Cerny