Irving Amen " Prophet" Hand-Signed & Numbered Color Woodcut Print Circa 1964 1964

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Irving Amen " Prophet" Hand-Signed & Numbered Color Woodcut Print Circa 1964

A powerful and contemplative work by celebrated American … Read more Irving Amen " Prophet" Hand-Signed & Numbered Color Woodcut Print Circa 1964

A powerful and contemplative work by celebrated American printmaker Irving Amen, Prophet exemplifies the artist’s deep engagement with spirituality, human introspection, and the expressive potential of the woodcut medium. Rendered in a striking palette of slate blues, muted yellows, charcoal blacks, and earthy tones, the composition depicts a solitary figure absorbed in reflection, his hand resting on an open book—a timeless symbol of wisdom, scripture, and inner truth.
Amen’s signature sculptural lines and carved textures give the work a dramatic presence, while the angular planes and bold contours infuse the figure with emotional gravity. The woodcut medium enhances the expressive quality of the piece, with layered pigments that create depth, mood, and a sense of solemn reverence.
Hand-signed Amen in pencil and titled Prophet, this impression is from the limited edition of 75, of which this is number 15. The work retains its original margins and is presented in a vintage frame that complements its mid-century aesthetic.

Dimensions : 27.75” H 19” W 1”D
Unmatted and unframed : 18.75" H 11.75 " W

About the artist :
Born in New York City in 1918, Amen began drawing at the young age of four. By the time he was fourteen years old, he won a scholarship to the Pratt Institute. He emulated Michelangelo's masterpieces and spent years perfecting his own unique style.
From 1942 to 1945 he served with the Armed Forces. He headed a mural project and executed murals in the United States and Belgium.
He had his first exhibition was at the New School for Social Research in New York and his second at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington in 1949. His travels throughout Israel, Greece and Turkey in 1960 led to a retrospective at the Artists House in Jerusalem.
Irving Amen then studied in Paris where he had one-man shows in painting, woodcut and sculpture. Besides practicing his art, Amen also taught classes in sculptor and printmaking at such schools as the Pratt Institute (1961) and at Notre Dame University(1962).
Commissions include a Peace Medal in honor of the Vietnam War and 12 stained glass windows for the Agudas Achim Synagogue in Ohio.
He is listed in Mantle Fielding Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors and Engravers and the Dictionary of Contemporary American Artists by Paul Cummings. Amen died at the age of 93 in 2011 in Florida. See less