Elskamp's Prints Max Elskamp
Belgian, 1862-1931
by Stephen Goddard
The Belgian poet, printmaker, and dedicated promoter of the study of Belgian folklore, Max Elskamp is best known for the beautiful editions of his poems ornamented with his own wood block prints. Through his poetry, his prints, and his collaborations with his lifelong friend the artist, designer,and architect Henry van de Velde, Elskamp was an important participant in the revitalization of Belgian arts and letters that occurred around the turn of the last century.
Each of the seven poems that make up "Les Sept Notre Dame Des Plus Beaux Métiers" is written in optimistic and intentionally simple, even naive verse. Similarly, the seven images of Our Lady and the series of woodcuts that accompanies his "L'Alphabet de Notre Dame la Vierge" deliberately resemble popular devotional prints. Specifically, Elskamp's images of Our Lady belong to a class of devotional images known as isoceles Virgins because of the overall triangular form dictated by the Virgin's robes. Isoceles Virgins are found, for example, printed on popular pilgrimage pennants of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The text of each poem is an affirmation of christian belief within the realm of one of the trades.
Both books testify to the artist's spiritual concerns and to his conviction that folk traditions are an appropriate vehicle for them. These concerns remained central to Elskamp's career, although later his spiritual life turned increasingly towards Buddhism, and his interest in folklore lead to his instrumental role in the founding of the Antwerp Museum of Folklore.
