Fritz Eichenberg. Art

Fritz Eichenberg, 'Simplicius’ Farewell To The World' from the suite 'The Adventurous Simplicissimus', wood engraving, 1977, artist's proof apart from the edition of 50. Signed in pencil. Signed in the block, lower right. A fine, richly-inked impression, on cream wove paper, with full margins (1 1/2 to 2 inches), in excellent condition. Image size 14 x 12 inches (356 x 305 mm); sheet size 17 1/2 x 15 inches (445 x 381 mm). Archivally sleeved, unmatted. ABOUT THIS WORK 'Simplicius Simplicissimus' (German: Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus Teutsch) is a picaresque novel of the lower Baroque style, written in five books by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen published in 1668, with the sequel Continuatio appearing in 1669. The novel is told from the perspective of its protagonist Simplicius, a rogue or picaro typical of the picaresque novel, as he traverses the tumultuous world of the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War. Raised by a peasant family, he is separated from his home by foraging dragoons. He is adopted by a hermit living in the forest, who teaches him to read and introduces him to religion. The hermit also gives Simplicius his name because he is so simple that he does not know his own name. After the death of the hermit, Simplicius must fend for himself. He is conscripted at a young age into service and, from there, embarks on years of foraging, military triumph, wealth, prostitution, disease, bourgeois domestic life, and travels to Russia, France, and an alternate world inhabited by mermen. The novel ends with Simplicius turning to a life of hermitage, denouncing the world as corrupt. ABOUT THE ARTIST Fritz Eichenberg (1901–1990) was a German-American illustrator and arts educator who worked primarily in wood engraving. His best-known works were concerned with religion, social justice, and nonviolence. Eichenberg was born to a Jewish family in Cologne, Germany, where the destruction of World War I helped to shape his anti-war sentiments. He worked as a printer's apprentice and studied at the Municipal School of Applied Arts in Cologne and the Academy of Graphic Arts in Leipzig, where he studied under Hugo Steiner-Prag. In 1923 he moved to Berlin to begin his career as an artist, producing illustrations for books and newspapers. In his newspaper and magazine work, Eichenberg was politically outspoken and sometimes wrote and illustrated his reporting. In 1933, the rise of Adolf Hitler drove Eichenberg, who was a public critic of the Nazis, to emigrate with his wife and children to the United States. He settled in New York City, where he lived most of his life. He worked in the WPA Federal Arts Project and was a member of the Society of American Graphic Artists. In his prolific career as a book illustrator, Eichenberg portrayed many forms of literature but specialized in works with elements of extreme spiritual and emotional conflict, fantasy, or social satire. Over his long career, Eichenberg was commissioned to illustrate more than 100 classics by publishers in the United States and abroad, including works by renowned authors Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, Poe, Swift, and Grimmelshausen. He also wrote and illustrated books of folklore and children's stories. Eichenberg was a long-time contributor to the progressive magazine The Nation, his illustrations appearing between 1930 and 1980. Eichenberg’s work has been featured by such esteemed publishers as The Heritage Club, Random House, Book of the Month Club, The Limited Editions Club, Kingsport Press, Aquarius Press, and Doubleday. Raised in a non-religious family, Eichenberg had been attracted to Taoism as a child. Following his wife's unexpected death in 1937, he turned briefly to Zen Buddhist meditation, then joined the Religious Society of Friends in 1940. Though he remained a Quaker until his death, Eichenberg was also associated with Catholic charity work through his friendship with Dorothy Day...

Fritz Eichenberg, 'City LIghts', wood engraving, 1934, edition 200. Signed, titled 'Lights', and annotated 'No 2/200 for Howard M. Chapin' in pencil. Initialed in the block, lower right. A fine, richly-inked black impression, on cream wove paper, with full margins (1 1/4 to 1 7/8 inches); a small loss (5/8 inch) in the top right sheet corner, well away from the image, otherwise in excellent condition. Printed by master printer Ernest Roth...

Trouble is not new to the church. Eichenberg illustrated In Praise Of Folly created this image called Folly of the Monks and Erasmus was writing in the 16th century. Erasmus was an...

Trouble is not new to religion. Eichenberg illustrated In Praise Of Folly and created this image called Folly of the Popes and Erasmus was writing in the 16...

Trouble is not new to religion. Eichenberg illustrated In Praise Of Folly and created this image called Folly of Worshipping Idols and Erasmus was writing in the 16th century. Eras...

Trouble is not new to religion. Eichenberg illustrated In Praise Of Folly and created this image called Folly of Worshipping Idols and Erasmus was writing in the 16th century. Eras...

In 1966, Fritz Eichenberg moved to Rhode Island and chaired the Art Department of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. His wood engravings and lithographs are almost always as...

Fritz Eichenberg created wood engravings to illustrate the biblical scene of Samson and Goliath German born wood engraver and lithographer, Eichenberg studied at the School of Appli...

Fritz Eichenberg did some original wood engravings for "Jane Eyre." Céline Varens was Adèle's mother and Mr. Rochester's former mistress. A French opera dancer, Céline pretended to ...

Fritz Eichenberg did some original wood engravings for Jane Eyre. This is an image featuring Georgiana And Eliza. As children, Eliza and Georgiana Reed, alon...

Fritz Eichenberg's portrait in wood engraving of Beethoven. Born: December 16, 1770 (baptized: December 17, 1770) - Bonn, Germany Died: March 26, 1827 - Bonn, Germany Ludwig van Beethoven...

In 1966, Eichenberg moved to Rhode Island and chaired the Art Department of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. His wood engravings and lithographs are almost always associa...