They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10, KJV)
As we enter Holy Week, I've selected an image for Good Friday of the Crucified Christ by Early 20th Century French Printmaker Louis Jou, known as the "architect of books" for his skill in making words come alive on the printed page through the imaginative use of typefaces, lay-outs, and illustrations. Jou is especially admired for his wood engravings taken from panels made from end cuts of wood whose hardness allows for more detailed linework. I have one such wood block from Jou of Christ in Agony to present this week where the wound in the side of the dying Jesus is on the right and the artist's monogram is reversed in a mirror image of what will appear on the printed sheet. Jou offers us a cosmic view of salvation where the anguished Christ floats free of the cross in a star-filled universe. (John Kohan)