"Drink to the Gates of Paradise" (Book VII: Alyosha, facing p.272) 1949

Fritz Eichenberg created this wood engraving, "Drink to the Gates of Paradise," as an illustration for Dostoevsky's *The Brothers Karamazov*. I see a process of careful building, stroke by stroke, to create light and shadow. It reminds me of the kind of obsessive mark-making that I go in for, like a form of meditation. Look at the way Eichenberg uses the black ink on white paper to create the illusion of depth and texture. The light seems to emanate from within, highlighting the figures' faces, drawing you into their emotional world. I notice the way he varies the density of the lines to create subtle gradations of tone. There is a real density to the mark making in the figures clothing that creates a somber mood and a feeling of despair. Eichenberg's work shares with artists like Käthe Kollwitz a concern for social justice and a deep empathy for human suffering. But in the end, art is an ongoing dialogue, always questioning, always searching.