1921 Frans Masereel—Original 'From the Block'. Woman, Infant Chased Into Street
$ 16.64
Description
1921 Frans Masereel—Original 'From the Block'. Woman, Infant Chased Into Street. Frans Masereel —. The Nazis burned his books. The sequence follows one man from birth to death without a word of text. Artist: Frans Masereel (1889–1972). Printed from Masereel's original blocks of 1918. Frans Masereel — Die Passion eines Menschen — Original Woodcut, 1921 Kurt Wolff Verlag, München — Printed in 1921From the Original Wood Blocks Masereel's images were bootlegged onto workers' movement posters across Europe. The Nazis burned his books. This print is one of the 25 original woodcuts comprising Die Passion eines Menschen — Frans Masereel's wordless novel published by Kurt Wolff, München, 1921. The sequence follows one man from birth to death without a word of text. He enters the world in poverty. He works, a body the machines require. He self-educates, organizes his fellow workers, and leads. The state responds with overwhelming force: uniforms, arrest, courtrooms, the prison cell, and death — the architecture of punishment. A few woodcuts offer brief moments of joy — a woman, solidarity with comrades, hope. In the end he faces a firing squad. Artist: Frans Masereel (1889–1972) Medium: Original woodcut, printed from the original blocks Year: 1921 Paper: Feinstes Hadernpapier (finest rag paper), laid, chain lines visible Sheet: 10.75 x 8.4 inches Edition: Nr. 260 of 750. Printed from Masereel's original blocks of 1918 Printer: Officin Dr. C. Wolf & Sohn, München Publisher: Kurt Wolff Verlag, München — publisher of Kafka, Werfel, and Trakl Masereel worked in black and white because the world he was describing didn't offer much gray. Surrounded by the wreckage of European civilization after World War I, he developed a form with no precedent — the graphic novel, or book without words--which consisted of narrative sequences told entirely in woodcut, without a word of text. They were readable by anyone regardless of native tongue. They required only eyes and a willingness to see. From 1933 onward, Frans Masereel's books were banned and burned by the Nazis, who declared his works "Entartete Kunst" — Degenerate Art. When Paris fell to the fascists in 1940 he fled on foot. His studio was plundered. Let us note here, his works are degenerate only to those who require obedience from art. 1921 print on laid, fine-rag paper, lower right corner chipped, a few fox spots in margins, otherwise good. The 'justification page" showing the number of the set of prints (#260 of 750) is for informational purposes only and is not part of the sale. Ships flat, protected in rigid mailer with archival sleeve and stiffeners.
