Fritz Eichenberg: Works of Mercy

by Fritz Eichenberg, Robert Ellsberg

Fritz Eichenberg (1901-1991) was one of the world's master wood engravers, renowned for his illustrations of literary classics, particularly those of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. A German immigrant and Quaker convert, he chaired the graphic arts department at the Pratt Institute in New York City, and authored The Art of the Print, which became a standard text.

He achieved a different fame from his forty years of contributions to The Catholic Worker weekly newspaper, founded by Dorothy Day in New York City in 1933, in the depths of the Great Depression. A wide selection from this oeuvre are represented in this stunning volume edited by former Catholic Worker editor Robert Ellsberg. Eichenberg's stark and moving renderings of the life of Christ--among the homeless, the hungry, and the persecuted--represent a unique spiritual vision.

Fritz Eichenberg: Works of Mercy includes an introduction to the artist's life and work by Jim Forest, another fomer CW editor, and more than fifty drawings and engravings accompanied by texts and meditations by such writers as Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton and Eichenberg himself.

Both visually and spiritually stunning, this book is a unique and wonderful gift for those familiar with Eichenberg as well as those just coming to know his work.

Genres: Art, Religion

109 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1992

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chanced upon this volume at a local used bookstore, and its images immediately resonated with me. Works of Mercy focuses on his artistic contributions to the Catholic Worker, and his relationship with religion and nonviolence. ("Pacifism," evidently, had too institutional a ring for his taste.) Though Eichenberg was ethnically Jewish, he spent much of his life in the Society of Friends. He was born in Germany in 1901, and left right around the time Hitler came to power. Works of Mercy has no distinct throughline besides Eichenberg's woodcuts and illustrations. Essays, interviews, and articles accompany the images, with a multitude of quotations from Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day. Though Works of Mercy is not the best volume in which to get acquainted with Eichenberg, it is informative, and provides plenty of his art for readers to consume. His work is the type that makes me want to sit with it for a while to immerse myself in it and really feel the scene.


Print in The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day


Detail of Christ of the Breadlines


St Francis, Sermon to the Birds

In addition to those interested in Eichenberg, Works of Mercy will be of interest to those wanting to learn more about Dorothy Day's life and connections, and the Catholic Worker movement. While Eichenberg was technically an outsider to the movement, he also had his finger on its pulse.

[Elyse Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book, generously illustrated with the work of Fritz Eichenberg, who used to do so much of the Catholic Worker artwork. He also illustrated some classic novels. The book has essays by Dorothy Day, Eichenberg, Thomas Merton, etc. which all "illustrate" the philosophy of voluntary poverty and peace work that he believed in. Highly recommended for this Year of Mercy - even if you just contemplate the images. (Cover image is "Christ of the Breadline."

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth purchasing and cherishing for the stunning prints by a great artist with conscience and devotion, and for the lovely quotes and excellent essays.
"Art and Faith", by Eichenberg himself, should be required reading for all artists of faith - all people of faith. It's one of those things I am thankful to own because I feel I'm its guardian; though our times neglect and suppress art and faith to such an extreme degree, I will always have Eichenberg's breathtaking manifesto, and I will protect it and share it proudly.

[Aaron the Pink Donut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of wood cuts and etchings. Most from his work on the National Catholic Reporter, but a fair amount of a more secular imagery. Great commentary and lavish reproductions. Well worth having

[Leroy Seat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book of Eichenberg's wood cut prints, some short essays by him, and devotional readings about peace written by several people, such as Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

This is the kind of book one could read/look through once a year with profit.