Originally intended as a sequel to his 1908 youth fairytale
The Dreaming Boys, Oskar Kokoschka’s (1886–1980) series of lithographs
The Bound Columbus evolved into an autonomous work. First published with the title
The White Animal Killer in the magazine
Die Fackel, Kokoschka offered the revised and renamed version to the Berlin publisher Fritz Gurlitt (1854–1893). Along with
O Eternity, Thou Word of Thunder and
The Great Wall of China, this cycle of graphic works, too, is an expression of Kokoschka’s obsession with and love for Alma Mahler (1879–1964). Created in 1913, the twelve lithographs show the artist as Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), who follows the path of his lover – bearing the traits of Mahler – towards his own demise. Kokoschka revisited the theme of the seething conflict between the sexes, which he had previously addressed in his play
Murderer, the Hope of Women, and incorporated personal memories of his relationship with Mahler into the composition. The illustrations have nothing to do with the historical figure of Christopher Columbus, rather, the title is an allusion to the film
The Arrival of Columbus, which Mahler and Kokoschka had watched together in the summer of 1912.
AS, 2021
