My mother used to carry me from the south-facing window in our large living room into a dark windowless bedroom at the other end. She accompanied this favourite playtime of mine with the words “Into light, into light...” and “Into darkness, into darkness...”. The childhood reminiscence has remained at the bottom of my memory, being recollected by black-and-white drawing. In school we were taught to draw from reality and my granduncle once wrote to me: “Don’t leave your imaginations, always have them in mind, there are so many things which want their form to be known, so many things which want to be heard.” After some time each drawing challenges me to make it better and with progression the steps somehow seem to align in a particular direction. If I managed, the result may be an expression of gratitude.
Václav Sokol was born in Prague in 1938, his father was an architect and mother a historian of art. He studied at a secondary graphic school in Prague. He worked at the Strahov Library (1959 – 67) and as a graphic designer at the Road and Railway Construction Company (1971 – 89). Václav Sokol currently works as an illustrator (The Bible for Children and Young) as well as a graphic editor of books and journals (Architekt 1992 – 98). He has realized Nativity scenes in the churches of Ústí nad Orlicí and Odolena Voda u Prahy. Since 1976 he has exhibited charcoal and pastel drawings in Prague and several Czech cities. In 2006 he exhibited in the Czech Centre in Paris and in 2007 in Kiev. He lives in Prague.