Do Not Forgive Them, Oh Lord. New Canaan, 1949.
“Each Negro lynching is a National disaster, is a stab in the back to our government in its desperate struggle for democracy.”
SZYK, Arthur. Do Not Forgive Them, Oh Lord, For They Do Know, What They Do. Signed and Dated “Arthur Szyk, New Canaan, 1949.” Pen and ink on paper. Sheet size: 8″ x 5 1/2″. Image size: 7″ x 5 1/2″. Very Good condition.
“Arthur Szyk was always cognizant of his ‘outsider’ status as a Jew, he realized that there was little difference between European fascism and American racism: both promoted outrageous theories of racial superiority and both, more ominously, demeaned and even destroyed members of ‘inferior’ racial populations” (Paul Von Blum). Though he loved America, and fought against the German racism abroad, Szyk was unafraid to attack the racism he saw at home in his beloved United States during WW II. This prompted a series of works advocating for racial justice for the African-American serving in its armed forces: two of these highly important drawings are in The Arthur Szyk Collection—Racial Humiliation and White, Black, and Jew in Common Cause. A third monumental work, described here Do Not Forgive Them, Oh Lord, For They Do Know, What They Do draws attention to the disgraceful treatment and continued debasement of blacks after their service to our country during the War, and how lynching in America is, in Szyk’s words: “a National disaster” and “a stab in the back to our government in its desperate struggle for democracy.” Szyk’s titling of this piece draws our attention to the Biblical passage of the Book of Luke 23:24 “forgive them, for they do not know what they do” and turns it completely on its head.
UCLA professor Paul Von Blum in his article “The Civil Rights Art of Arthur Szyk” summarizes our artwork: “This cartoon focuses on a bound black soldier, brutalized by two hooded, robed, and armed Klansmen in the background. Szyk uses visual detail effectively to underscore his unambiguous anti-racist theme. The soldier wears a Purple Heart medal, indicative of his personal sacrifice that ironically provides no protection from the unspeakable racist brutality that he and hundreds must endure. The cross around his neck likewise offers no immunity from racist attacks; his symbol, moreover, is a scathing reminder of the outrageous hypocrisy of the Christian pretensions of the Klan and other white supremacist groups and individuals. The caption bluntly reminds viewers that those who betray their religious principles deserve strong condemnation, not forgiveness. Above all, Szyk’s disconcerting cartoon demands that America face its embarrassing inadequacy to respond aggressively to its racist past and present. The nation that defended freedom and democracy against fascist aggression and genocide must get its own affairs in order, especially in treating its citizens of color in accordance with its Constitutional guarantees and with international human rights standards.”
Exhibition History: Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, 29 August 2008–4 January 2009.
Publishing History: The Sunday Compass, New York, June 12, 1949, p. 13; Arthur Szyk: Artist, Jew, Pole , Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, Oxford, England, 2004, plate 35; Newsletter, The Arthur Szyk Society, Burlingame, CA, Spring 2005, p. 7; The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, San Francisco, April 15-21, 2005, p. 27a; The Civil Rights Art of Arthur Szyk, The Arthur Szyk Society, Burlingame, CA, 2006, p.6; Art History Publication Series No. 3, The Arthur Szyk Society, p. 6; The Jewish Press magazine, New York, May 25, 2007, cover M1; Sodei, Rinjiro, Arthur Szyk: Indignant Jewish Illuminator [Text in Japanese], Tokyo, Japan, 2007, p. 211; Drawing Against National Socialism and Terror, Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, 2008, pp. 290-291; The Burlingame B, Burlingame, CA, February 29, 2008, p. 4; Artur Szyk: Man of Dialogue [Polish and English editions], Centrum Dialogu, Lodz, 2011, p. 39; International Herald Tribune, September 10, 2008, p.22.
