One of my favorite books as a child was this volume of Andersen's Fairy Tales with illustrations by Arthur Szyk. I love the stories of Hans Christian Andersen and was intrigued Szyk's eerie illustrations. I recently learned that his art was not confined to illustrating children's books. He's famous for anti-Axis political illustrations during WWII as well as illustrations on Jewish religious subjects in the style of illuminated manuscripts.
When I heard there was an exhibit of Szyk's work at The Palace of Legion of Honor, I jumped at the opportunity to see it.
I cannot begin to describe how beautiful & complex Szyk's illustrations are. Szyk was also passionate about unmasking social injustice; many of his illustrations speak directly of atrocities which occurred during WWII, and the manner in which he spoke out against unnecessary human suffering still holds current relevance.
And, exciting news: A new publication of Szyk's Haggadah will be available in April. Szyk created these Haggadah illustrations in Poland during the time of Hitler's rise to power. Through his illustrations, he drew parallels between the Nazis and the ancient Egyptians of the book of Exodus. Not only will this be a usable Haggadah, it will also contain information and commentary explaining Passover traditions.
One of my favorite books as a child was this volume of Andersen's Fairy Tales with illustrations by Arthur Szyk. I love the stories of Hans Christian Andersen and was intrigued Szyk's eerie illustrations. I recently learned that his art was not confined to illustrating children's books. He's famous for anti-Axis political illustrations during WWII as well as illustrations on Jewish religious subjects in the style of illuminated manuscripts.
When I heard there was an exhibit of Szyk's work at The Palace of Legion of Honor, I jumped at the opportunity to see it.
I cannot begin to describe how beautiful & complex Szyk's illustrations are. Szyk was also passionate about unmasking social injustice; many of his illustrations speak directly of atrocities which occurred during WWII, and the manner in which he spoke out against unnecessary human suffering still holds current relevance.
And, exciting news: A new publication of Szyk's Haggadah will be available in April. Szyk created these Haggadah illustrations in Poland during the time of Hitler's rise to power. Through his illustrations, he drew parallels between the Nazis and the ancient Egyptians of the book of Exodus. Not only will this be a usable Haggadah, it will also contain information and commentary explaining Passover traditions.
Beautiful.... and inpiring. I just managed to track down and order an edition of Szyk's Anderson's Fairy Tales for me and children. Thank you.....x
ReplyDeleteYou are so very welcome... I hope you enjoy the book!
ReplyDeleteI just posted this on my facebook page and was looking around on the internet for fellow fans...
ReplyDeleteI was also fascinated by the illustrations as a child. Would love to catch an exhibit sometime. Thanks for the post.
http://www.facebook.com/tbgdesign.illustration