Frans

August 21, 2002 12:37 AM

Frans Masereel - a great woodcut artist, pioneer of the wordless novel. You can see all of his 1925 Die Stadt (The City) and Landscapes and Voices (1929) at Graphic Witness (Though his Passionate Journey is one of my favorite books.) "First published in Germany in 1925 The City is a portrait of urban Europe between the wars, told in one hundred woodcuts of exceptional force and beauty. Frans Masereel portrays parks and factories, shipyards and brothels, crowds, lovers, and lonely individuals with remarkable subtlety and nuance while exploiting the stark contrast of the woodcut medium.
posted by vacapinta (8 comments total)

Thanks vacapinta,
I alway thought Lynd Ward was the pioneer in this genre. Just glancing at Masereel's work I have to say that Ward is still more to my taste. Here's 16 pages of Vertigo, (not his prime, but on the net)
posted by gametone at 3:50 AM on August 21, 2002

More of a question this one, but does anybody know of any great wood-cutting websites? My Grandfather did a bit of this, and I'd be interested in knowing where I could go to investigate a bit more about it.
posted by seanyboy at 4:14 AM on August 21, 2002

thanks vacapinta. I always remember Michael McCurdy's beautiful woodcuts in the Man who Planted Trees from my childhood.
posted by gravelshoes at 4:47 AM on August 21, 2002

Hm, and I looked up Lyn Ward.... Lynd, you say--guess I forgot the D all this time.
posted by y2karl at 5:34 AM on August 21, 2002

Nice links y2karl. God's man is my favorite.
posted by gametone at 6:00 AM on August 21, 2002

Beautiful stuff--thanks for letting us know about it.
posted by saltykmurks at 7:56 AM on August 21, 2002

For complete immersion, I recommend you listen to one of these recordings while you page through the images.
posted by vacapinta at 10:22 AM on August 21, 2002

great stuff, vaca--Thanks!
posted by amberglow at 4:24 PM on August 21, 2002