The Book of Job 1955

Fritz Eichenberg made this print, titled "The Book of Job", and like all prints, it’s a process. Layers of meaning build up through the labor of the making; carving the block, inking it, pressing it to paper. Here, the physicality of the medium is so present. You can almost feel the artist digging into the wood. The marks are so deliberate, aren't they? The dense, cross-hatched lines create a real sense of depth and drama. Take a look at the angel’s wing; each feather is so carefully rendered, yet the overall effect is one of great weight and sorrow. And then there’s that eye, that all-seeing eye, radiating lines in the sky, it's intense. This piece reminds me a little of Käthe Kollwitz, maybe because of the shared interest in human suffering and the expressive power of black and white. Art, like life, can be messy, complicated, and full of questions that don’t have easy answers.