c. 1923-24
wood engraving, drawn by Charles E. Burchfield, carved printed by J.J. Lankes, #12 from an edition of 13
6 1/8 x 4 5/8 inches (Frame: 9 3/4 x 8 inches)
Burchfield Penney Art Center, Gift of Charles Rand Penney, 1994
This collaborative print by Charles E. Burchfield and J. J. Lankes was created for an unrealized publication of “Ecclesiastes” by J. J.’s brother, Frank Lankes. He suggested the imagery based on Biblical verse 4 in chapter 12: “And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low.” He also offered models for the composition: “Here I imagine a few houses in the street (I have some snapshots of [adobe] houses in New Mexico that might give the Judean atmosphere) with the black clouds of storm or death coming on.”