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These woodcuts are the result of accidental intent. In 1995, while demonstrating woodcutting techniques for a printmaking class, I selected “Skull,” a small section within an RAF photograph of Bergen-Belsen. The high contrast and powerful graphic presence of this image struck me. I realized that I had to create a suite of woodcuts based on the nucleus of each camp.

While not in my original conception of the “Fourteen Stations/Hey Yud Dalet” project, these small woodcuts (6 ½” X 4”), became an integral part of the suite when I pulled the first print, “Bergen-Belsen.” Woodcuts demand an economy of shades and a strong graphic interpretation, all adding to the power of the image. I love the medium but had not done woodcuts since the late 1960’s. This series, where each tool stroke changes the image without the ability to rebuild, was extremely liberating after working with the myriad gradations of charcoal drawings. The work demands an almost Samurai concentration, where each gesture must be right.

It took me 20 years, but the final pieces of this grand project, “Fourteen Stations/Hey Yud Dalet,” are now a reality. Begun in 1995 and completed in 2015, the suite of woodcuts consists of an edition of 36 (Lamed Vav) portfolios, consisting of 15 prints each. The portfolios are available to collectors.
For information on adding an Arie Galles Fourteen Stations Woodcut Print to your collection Click Here ...