By all counts, Fritz Eichenberg was fearless, though it was likely the one trait he couldn’t afford to possess.
Born in 1901 in Germany, Eichenberg was raised a Jew. As the Nazis gained control of Germany, Eichenberg became an outspoken adversary of the cause. He could perhaps even be categorized as an antagonist of the movement that urged the murder of Jews.
Through his detailed, wood-engraved prints, Eichenberg created satirical artworks that mocked Adolf Hitler and the social injustice that ruled the world around him. Eichenberg’s beliefs spread and became more popular as Nazism took hold, so the artist moved with his wife and two-year-old daughter to safer quarters in New York City.
Though the war and the depression raged on, Eichenberg quickly found work in the United States as an illustrator. His work became an icon of the working poor, who could afford the relatively-inexpensive prints and considered them inspirational fine art, said Karen Kaiser, assistant curator for education at the Jundt Art Museum at Gonzaga University.
Perhaps what drew the working-class masses to his work was his experience with many different religions and his understanding of the blue collar plight. Over the years, Eichenberg sampled myriad religions – Taoism, Buddhism, Quakerism. Though he was non-demoninational, the stories told in his prints were grounded in the Jesuit tradition, she said.
The relevance of Eichenberg’s work resonated in the story of a recent visitor to the Jundt museum, Kaiser said. The visitor said she and her coworkers would begin the work day at their Catholic organization by meditating in front of an Eisenberg print, rather than by praying, Kaiser added. 
It’s Eichenberg’s understanding and portrayal of the Jesuit tradition that perhaps carves a home for his works in the Gonzaga community, Kaiser said.
Jesuit universities throughout the United States have designed their curricula to immerse students in a variety of experiences that enable them to explore the causes of injustice and to create solutions. Like Eichenberg’s work, the Jesuit teaching method urges social responsibility.
Though many Gonzaga students do not know the Jundt Art Museum even exists, they likely could make a strong connection between Eichenberg’s works and the social injustices that compel them to act today.
“It’s important that faculty and the rest of the Gonzaga community use us as a resource,” Kaiser concluded.
