Passionate Journey: A Vision in Woodcuts (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)

This wordless book had quite a hypnotic effect on me. The pictures have to tell the whole story. For those interested in Graphic Novels - readers and artists alike - it's an amazing example of the genre. The tale is about one man's journey through life and he goes through heaps of things...and he took me right along with him. I pulled it out from my bookshelf recently and had a much deeper appreciation of it the second time around. From the point of view of writing my own graphic novels this is a great reference book. I will keep this one.

lovely and yet sometimes difficult to look at and ponder the connection of humanity to its environment. thoroughly enjoyed this book

Had to read for a class. Searched everywhere for this book, it's so hard to get a physical copy of this book on short notice. Luckily, it was here on Amazon for the kindle and she was very happy about that. :)

Came on time as advertised. I had this paperback some years ago and misplaced it. Grateful Dover still had it.This book says so many deep things about anyone's life both the good and the bad that can only properly be said in the way this book does it - without words.

Historic in the world of comics and quite the little story.

Great piece of work. I think things over a hundred years old should be free though.

PRIMO FAST FIVE STAR PERFECTION! RECOMMENDED!

Compulsion pulls you through the powerful woodcuts in a few minutes. Each successive reading takes longer as you discover and savor character, plot and craft. Masereel lived by the nitroglycerin theory of rhetoric--the fewer the words, the leaner the lines, the more powerful the message.

For his 'Passionate Journey' ('My Book of Hours') Frans Masereel found his inspiration in the Catholic 'Book of Hours', which initially contained the prayers linked to the hours of the day. Afterwards, it was completed by the office of the dead (prayers for the salvation of the soul), invocations to the Blessed Virgin and extracts from the life of Christ (the Gospels). References to the life of Christ abound in 'My Book of Hours', such as the entry of the city on the back of a donkey, taking care of the innocent (children) or feeding the birds.The cityIn this novel told by black and white woodcuts without texts (except one word 'LOI' {LAW] and one sign '5%'), Frans Masereel's hero discovers the modern city, its turbulence, its masses, its transport systems, its factories, but also its preachers, its criminality, its money merchants (5%), its sex market and ... loneliness.RedemptionDuring his itinerary, our hero helps the needy, rescues a girl who has fallen into the water, plays with the innocent (the children), competes in popular games, works in the countryside, leads workers' demonstrations, loses his loves or frees a girl from the hands of an evil boss. After a journey around the world, he returns to the city ... as a free man.A rebelHe becomes a rebel, who doesn't care about the 'LAW' and its representatives, the church or the army. He pees on the city and farts in the mouth of the bourgeoisie. He turns his back on the city and returns to the real nature (the woods) to die. But, his spirit of freedom will continue to infect the whole universe: 'they shall not tame him'.This expressionist work of art shines through a surprisingly virtuoso mastery of the technique of black-and-white wood engraving, the expressiveness of each woodcut, its narrative power and its humanity.A must have.

I would just echo what the other reviewers have said and point out that Masereel's work extends beyond woodcuts although it is these that create the greatest impression. His work also continued beyond the 1920s and he died in 1972 at the age of 82.

Masereel as the man who inspired Felix Vallotton and a host of others was simply out of print for too long. A powerful piece

Happy with the book, the woodblock prints are very good.

Anche questo volume è un racconto per immagini di una forza straripante. Immagini che nel loro contrasto estremo tra bianco e nero o nero e bianco sembrano imporre anche un'attenzione alla realtà da raccontare con forte senso critico e vigile attenzione. Una simbiosi perfetta tra soggetto e realizzazione.