The Spiritual Vitality of Fritz Eichenberg’s Wood Engravings
posted on 7 January 2011 | posted in
Arts and Entertainment
While I'm normally a collector of canvas art prints, I do have an apprecation of sculptures. Fritz Eichenberg was a master wood engraver originally from Cologne, Germany. He is best remembered for illustrations of various twentieth century works, particularly those of Dostoyevsky. His images are often stark and vivid, rendered solely in black and white.
As Hitler and the Nazi regime rose to power, Eichenberg fled to the Americas on a journey that was at once spiritual and geographic. Eventually he settled in New York. He became a Quaker, was deeply influenced by Buddhism, and became a friend and affiliate of Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. His work for the Movement’s newspaper provides deep spiritual insight into the presence of God in social situations. His concern is for the poor and his vision is of Christ among them. The spiritual vitality reaches its zenith in the astounding, “Christ of the Breadlines”. The portrayal is of men and women waiting in line in the cold and dark the central figure radiates light that extends around them. Other works include a Nativity scene and a Last Supper scene that integrate contemporary city people of poor or humble means with images of Christ. See the book Works of Mercy for discussions of these and more of the engravings. The art is serene, powerful and compelling.
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