Westrand 1978 (Western Edge), an etching by Roger Loewig available from Grafos Verlag, a single, extremely fine etching. It is a small print within a long, endless story which must be explained here, if only cursorily, since without this background, the print remains a mystery to the observer.

'Die Phalanx der Verzweifelten' (The Ranks of the Despairing, 1963) - this same motif moves across Loewig's images for decades. The print 'Westrand' (Western Edge) belongs in the context of his 'Zwischenland' (Land in Between) graphic series. 'A land in between, a narrow strip of numb waiting', as Loewig himself describes it. 'Am Rand der Stadt' (On the Outskirts of the City) - this fine lined etching, in lengthwise format, appears more like somewhere at the end of the world. The empty horizon divides the print into two parts. Human figures, survivors of some catastrophe. The panorama, the wasteland becomes a theatrical backdrop. When contemplating Loewig's graphic series, one feels as if drawn into a continuous drama without beginning nor end. It portrays the plains of the North, perhaps like one of the infinite landscapes of a Caspar David Friedrich with a strip of hope. Yet it is not the Romantic air, but needy, forlorn humanity which is given the lead role. The persecuted and mass murder are the focal points of this artist's intentions. ek