Christmas and New Year Wishes. Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men. New Canaan, 1946.
SZYK, Arthur. Christmas and New Year Wishes. Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men. Signed “Arthur Szyk, New Canaan”. (1946). Watercolor and gouache on paper. Sheet size: 7 1/2″ x 9 9/16″. Image size: 4 5/8″ x 5 1/8″. Very Good condition.
Arthur Szyk elegantly unifies several prominent themes of Christmastime in this beautiful illumination. Central, of course, is the birth of Jesus. He and his mother Mary dominate the center of the composition; she holds him lovingly and he raises his hands toward the viewer in greeting. Above their heads span the words “Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men.” Above those words to the left and right are two angels; these elements allude to the Annunciation to the Shepherds, when men in the fields outside Bethlehem were alerted by angels with these words about Jesus’ birth.
At Mary’s right are three animals – a donkey, a cow, and a sheep – which reference the Nativity, when Jesus was born in a stable because no other room in Bethlehem was available. Behind Mary’s left shoulder is the Star of Bethlehem, said to have been a celestial signpost leading three wise men to Jesus’ location to which they travelled, bringing him gifts. That occasion, the Adoration of the Magi, is indicated below by the three resplendently dressed men who are holding golden urns. Szyk’s portrayal of the Magi is in keeping with traditions in Medieval art when they were depicted as being of three different ages (young, middle-aged, and elderly) and of different ethnicities: Balthasar the African, Caspar the Asian, and Melchior the European (see, e.g., Hieronymus Bosch’s “Adoration of the Magi” (ca. 1475), Hans Memling’s “Adoration of the Magi” (1479), Albrecht Altdorfer “The Adoration of the Magi” (1535)).
Throughout the lettering of “Christmas and New Year Wishes” are extensive and exquisitely detailed decorations. The angels above also bear an announcement from the artist, a year after the second World War’s end: “This Image is Dedicated to the Brotherhood of Men.”
Provenance: Parke Bernet Sale, New York, Mrs. Arthur Szyk, May 11, 1965. Lot 27.
Exhibition History: Spertus Museum. Chicago, IL., August 16, 1998–February 28, 1999.
Publishing History: Justice Illuminated: The Art of Arthur Szyk. Spertus Museum, Chicago, IL., 1998, plate 30 ; Justice Illuminated: The Art of Arthur Szyk (a study guide by Byron L. Sherwin), The Arthur Szyk Society, Burlingame, CA, 2002, p. 18; Art History Publication Series No. 3, The Arthur Szyk Society, p. 8.
