Label
Joseph Albers (1888-1976)
Three original screen prints were created by Joseph Albers as the frontispieces for the three volumes of the Bible. Thompson undoubtedly knew Albers from his years at Yale, where Albers taught from 1950-1958 and was active thereafter. The forward to the first edition of the Bible explained the significance of these works.
Introitus, 1973
Introitus takes its name from an opening ceremony of the church. It suggests with illusionary lines the interior of a great cathedral, receding from foreground to the altar in the distance. The work takes its color from the first chapter of Genesis, “And God said, ‘Let there be light, and there was light.’”
Seclusion, 1973
With its somber background and maze-like pattern, Seclusion describes in graphic terms the melancholy wandering of the tribes, as described in the Old Testament.
Ascension, 1973
In Ascension, the graphic symbolism is especially brilliant, as Christ seems to rise in a radiant cloud of linear forms.