When the 19th century was drawing to a close, the beginning of an extraordinary artistic career was looming in the small town of Hronov in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. On March 23, 1887, Josef Čapek was born, who was to leave his mark on the art world not only as a painter and writer, but also as a photographer, stage designer and book illustrator. Working closely with his brother Karel Capek, he had a significant impact on the cultural and political life of Czechoslovakia in the 1920s and 1930s. Through their journalistic work, they supported their country's young democracy and even maintained a personal friendship with the then President of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. After completing an apprenticeship as a weaver, Josef Čapek decided to pursue his creative streak further and began studying at the School of Applied Arts in Prague in 1904. A few years later, he and his brother Karel were drawn to Paris, the heart of the European art scene. There Josef made a name for himself not only through his first literary publications, including writings on art theory and film scripts, but also through his work as a painter. He developed a specific conception of cubism that incorporated elements of Czech folk art. With his imagination and unique style, Josef Čapek brought cubism and applied art together in a way that few artists had done before him. Whether in his paintings, designs, sculptures or drawings, Josef Čapek knew how to portray his vision in a unique way.

After World War I, Čapek returned to Prague with his wife Jarmila and their shared daughter Alena. He found himself in a dynamic, ever-changing world, and his art reflected these changes. Even as the dark clouds of World War II gathered over Europe, Čapek remained a tireless champion of art and democracy. He used his skills as a draftsman to warn of the looming threat of war and expose the propaganda of Nazism. Yet amid the chaos and uncertainty that characterized the 1930s and 1940s, Josef Čapek always managed to create rays of hope. Together with his brother Karel, he continued to publish literary texts, including dramas and stories. He also found inspiration in the world of his daughter Alena for a series of children's books, to which Karel contributed the texts. Her stories of woof and meow were a great success and are still popular today. In these drawings, the full range of Čapek's talent and his deep understanding of human nature and the human spirit can be seen.

After the outbreak of World War II, Josef Čapek was arrested on September 9, 1939, for his criticism of Nazism and deported to various concentration camps. Amidst the horrors of war, he still found the strength to practice his art and left us some poems he wrote in Sachsenhausen concentration camp. On April 12, 1945, just three days before the liberation of the camp, Josef Čapek was murdered in Bergen-Belsen. Today, we are proud to carry on Josef Čapek's legacy by reproducing his artwork as art prints of the highest quality. Each art print is a tribute to Čapek's talent, his tireless passion for art, and his commitment to freedom and democracy. In every art print we feel the power of his visions, which still inspire us today and inspire us to see the world with open eyes and always look for the light in the darkness.