TUESDAY in HOLY WEEK

Suffering Servant - Friedrich Peter   (Canada)

Living not far from us (as the eagle flies) is the German born artist Friedrich Peter who now lives in Vancouver. He was born in 1933 and after finishing his studies, he and his wife Christine were enticed by a poster of the Canadian Rockies and sought out the Canadian consulate to explore the possibility of leaving Germany. The rugged nature of the North touched him deeply. Upon their arrival in Canada in 1957, they took a train from Montreal to Vancouver, where in 1958 Friedrich became an instructor at the Vancouver School of Art.
His unusual style of typeface design work has received many awards.

Friedrich and Christine have raised three children, all born in Canada, and believe that "God’s guidance, not our dreams of freedom…brought us to Canada."

Judas Iscariot Betrayed our Lord (1987)

While in Black & White I present another wonderful  artist John Muafangejo (1943-87) who was born in Angola.  He grew up in a traditional homestead herding cattle during the day and playing communal and literary games, with their strong moral and philosophical content, with the elders in the evening. This period of his life clearly influenced not only his development as an artist but also the content of his work forming the basis of his strongly autobiographical subject matter. Following the death of his father in 1955, his mother inherited nothing and so moved to a mission station where John joined her in 1957. He converted to Christianity at the age of fourteen and in 1964 attended St Mary's Anglican mission school at Odibo in Namibia where his artistic skills were recognized and arrangements were made for him to train at Rorke's Drift.

Muafangejo is best known for his linocuts of figures, religious and historical scenes. His images have a strong narrative quality and his illustrations of African traditions often have an explanatory script. His work can be seen in public galleries throughout South Africa.