Black Power: 1969

(Frankfurt am Main): Edition Kölling, 1968. Schmolck, H. C.. Calendar comprising 24ff. prints, plus an introduction written by the artist, Hans Christoph Schmolck, and an illustrated cover page. One of 200 copies signed by the artist, with a hand-written statement of limitation; the prints are also signed and numbered by Schmolck. Each month is illustrated with two pages of prints celebrating the African-American Civil Rights Movement: one with the name of the month in English, and the other in German. The English pages bear black & white prints of shadowy figures reminiscent of collages, and the German pages have large, bold linoleum cuts accented with color. The powerful images express rage, fear, pain, and strength. Many reference specific events, including the Orangeburg Massacre in February, 1968 and the Newark Riots of 1967. One shows Timothy Ross, an innocent bystander who was shot by police during the Atlanta riots of 1967, and in another, a mother screams after losing her son. Several important figures of the Black Power and Civil Rights Movements are also depicted: April's linoleum cut is a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., with the date of his assassination, and January has a portrait of Stokely Carmichael, who was elected national chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1966. The struggle for equal rights in America became an inspiration to younger generations in Germany, who began the country's student protest movement in the late 1960s. A few corners bent, adhesive at the top of the calendar has split, else fine, housed in a cloth chemise and folding case. More information about the artist is available on his website: www.hans-c-schmolck.com. Schmolck was born in Heidelberg on June 10, 1909, and died in Frankfurt am Main in 1974. He studied literature, history, and art, and as an artist believed that the ideas and concepts behind a work of art were the most important part. Facing persecution during World War II, Schmolck left Germany in 1944 and spent time in exile in France, Italy and Switzerland. Along with Otto Dix, Pablo Picasso, Max Radler, and the writers Bertolt Brecht and Hermann Hesse, he created art opposed to war. He made a new start in Frankfurt after the war, as much of his previous work had been destroyed or plundered during the war. In 1968, he founded the publishing house Edition Kolling, where he was editor and also in charge of layout and printing. This is where he made the Black Power calendar, and in the work he continued his exploration of themes of violence and oppression. On his website, Schmolck stated that "This calendar is perpetual as long as misanthropy and violence dominate the world.