Vesak (Coat stand)

In this photograph, a hanging coat is used as the figure and main subject. The hat on top of the coat stand in combination with wide draping of the coat, gives a sense of depth and solid form to what is actually an inanimate object. Here, Chochola experiments with the idea of lost identity through the absence of a physical body by depicting just the illusion of a figure. With his life in Czechoslovakia seized by political oppression and censorship, Vesak (Coat stand), offers a glimpse into the reality of having to hide personal expressions and opinions at this time as a Czech artist. Additionally, the coat stand is surrounded by several ordinary objects, like the back of a chair, a lamp, and the numbers of a clock reflected directly onto the coat. The inclusion of these objects point to Chochola’s experience as a photojournalist and fascination with depicting daily life.

[Abigail Bresler, 'Fisherman on the River Vltava / Rybář na Vltavě' in "Suppression, Subversion, and the Surreal: The Art of Czechoslovakian Resistance," (Los Angeles: USC Fisher Museum of Art, 2019) 74.]