Preaching to the Birds 1935 - 1943

This wood engraving, Preaching to the Birds, was made by Fritz Eichenberg. He’s carved the block so intensely it feels like the image is emerging out of the dark, line by line. I can imagine Eichenberg working away at the block, thinking about St. Francis, about nature and the way living things listen, need, and respond. The figure is surrounded by birds, each rendered with a stark kind of clarity. Look at the pelican in the lower left, its beak open, its feathers meticulously described, while a huge vulture looms above. The light is what gets me, though. It haloes the central figure, radiating outwards and illuminating all the feathered creatures around him. It reminds me of other artists who have taken on the theme of human-animal relations, like Paula Modersohn-Becker and her close attention to the natural world. Eichenberg leaves us with a sense of wonder and connection to the world around us, and the enduring power of compassion.