Dmitri on the Road (Book VIII: Mitya, facing p.316) 1949

Fritz Eichenberg made this wood engraving, Dmitri on the Road, as an illustration for Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. There’s a real sensitivity to the surface here. The lines feel almost caressed into being. The contrast between the dark brooding sky and the sharp lines of the coachman’s whip create a dramatic tension. Look at the way Eichenberg carves the lines on Dmitri’s coat and hat. There’s a real sense of weight and texture created by the density and direction of the marks. You can almost feel the cold, harsh Russian winter bearing down on these figures, particularly in the way the fur trim is suggested. See how the two men, rendered in such detail, contrasts with the abstract lines suggesting the speed of their journey? Eichenberg’s work reminds me of Kathe Kollwitz, another German artist who used printmaking to explore themes of social justice and human suffering. Like Kollwitz, Eichenberg understood that art could be a powerful tool for empathy and understanding. He embraces the inherent ambiguity of the human condition.