The academic painter Jožka Baruch was born on July 28, 1892, in Krásno nad Bečvou. He studied at the State Vocational School for Woodworking in Valašské Meziříčí, graduating as a carver specializing in figures and ornamentation.

Later, he enrolled at the School of Applied Arts in Prague, studying painting under Professor Dítě; in his third year, he joined Professor Kysela’s department of ornamental painting. His studies were interrupted by the First World War, but he completed them in 1922 in the painting and graphic arts studio. It was graphic art—specifically the woodcut—that became Baruch’s most significant, and indeed almost exclusive, mode of expression. Even his paintings and drawings bear the influence of his graphic work. He focused primarily on "applied" graphic arts, including posters, advertising materials, artistic design, book layout, and illustration. He taught courses in drawing and woodcarving, worked on the editorial staffs of several art magazines, and dedicated himself entirely to drawing and graphic art. He drew inspiration from the world of children and from literature. A large portion of his work is connected to books; he created book illustrations, cover designs, and *ex libris* (bookplates). He frequently found inspiration in the works of the poet Petr Bezruč. He passed away on November 22, 1966, in Prague, where he had spent the majority of his life.