Visions from the Soul

This remarkable book features the prints of the German expressionist Hans Friedrich Grohs (1892-1981), who came of age during a momentous era in world history, experiencing the horror of two world wars and the scourge of Adolf Hitler's National Socialist tyranny. Grohs' prints reflect his reactions to the vicissitudes of his life, reveal his unyielding commitment to his life, and demonstrate that the humble woodcut was the most significant artistic vein mined by the German expressionists.His graphic art, which drew upon the lineage of the woodcut in Germany and Japanese ukiyo-e, is an important contribution to twentieth-century printmaking. Grohs' woodcuts stand apart from his work in other media and most clearly reveal his expressionist orientation. Among his favorite subjects was the dance of death, the landscape, literature, the Bible, and history. Grohs' remarkable journey in printmaking evolved through his endless quest for self-expression and revelation, his urgent desire to realize his visions of the soul.