Frederick Franck’s Artistry and Perspective
Peace Garden - Summer 2023
Peace Garden Detail - Summer 2023
Dr. Frederick Franck (April 12, 1901 - June 5, 2006) was a sculptor, painter, and an author of thirty-five books on seeing the world from a more spiritual perspective. He was born in the Netherlands, came to the United States in 1945, and became a citizen. His profession was dental surgery, though he limited it to two or three days a week to pursue his writing and art. He was a dear friend of Dr. Albert Schweitzer and worked with him in Africa from 1958 to 1961.
Franck was a highly respected artist and advocate for peace, combining those passions to create sacred spaces. Pacem de Terris (Peace on Earth) in Warwick, New York is a six acres trans-religious sacred space, featuring more than 70 sculptures. It features images and symbols from both Eastern and Western perspectives with both stations of the cross and the Zen oxherding series.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is fortunate to have a smaller, but no less tranquil Peace Garden with some of his sculptures near the Governor’s mansion along the idyllic Susquehanna River. The change in seasons give a different perspective of his art. I’ve painted the garden numerous times over the years: with vibrant florals in spring and summer, earth tones in autumn and stark black, grays and whites in winter.
Franck was a highly respected artist and advocate for peace, combining those passions to create sacred spaces. Pacem de Terris (Peace on Earth) in Warwick, New York is a six acres trans-religious sacred space, featuring more than 70 sculptures. It features images and symbols from both Eastern and Western perspectives with both stations of the cross and the Zen oxherding series.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is fortunate to have a smaller, but no less tranquil Peace Garden with some of his sculptures near the Governor’s mansion along the idyllic Susquehanna River. The change in seasons give a different perspective of his art. I’ve painted the garden numerous times over the years: with vibrant florals in spring and summer, earth tones in autumn and stark black, grays and whites in winter.
Hiroshima - The Unkillable Human by Frederick Franck, early spring
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Hiroshima - The Unkillable Human by Frederick Franck, winter
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Hiroshima - The Unkillable Human by Dr. Frederick Franck
This sculpture, shown in early spring and winter, depicts a man’s silhouette flashing against a wall when the nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
It is one of Dr. Frederick Franck’s sculptures in the Peace Garden in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
It is one of Dr. Frederick Franck’s sculptures in the Peace Garden in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The Peace Garden was created in 1990 by the Harrisburg/Hershey Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). The garden was created as a response to a speech given in Hiroshima by Dr. Bernard Lown, president of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which earned a Nobel Peace Prize. The garden features three sculptures that remind us of the devastating destruction, yet also acknowledge the continuation of life and the human spirit, in spite of inhumane decisions.
Dr. Franck first entered my vision, and my heart, in 1973 when I discovered his book Zen of Seeing: Seeing/Drawing as Meditation. He questioned, “What is seeing but a pathway to divine knowledge?” He was adamant that if we could see - if we paid attention and actually saw, instead of simply looking - we would be able to draw, and we would also gain a different perception of the world.
The Vietnam War (November 1, 1955 -April 30, 1975) was still underway when his book was published. His comment, "if we would see, instead of simply look, we would fall to our knees in horror" resonated as I saw people eat dinner while watching the evening news, as body bags were being shown returning from the war.
Dr. Franck first entered my vision, and my heart, in 1973 when I discovered his book Zen of Seeing: Seeing/Drawing as Meditation. He questioned, “What is seeing but a pathway to divine knowledge?” He was adamant that if we could see - if we paid attention and actually saw, instead of simply looking - we would be able to draw, and we would also gain a different perception of the world.
The Vietnam War (November 1, 1955 -April 30, 1975) was still underway when his book was published. His comment, "if we would see, instead of simply look, we would fall to our knees in horror" resonated as I saw people eat dinner while watching the evening news, as body bags were being shown returning from the war.
"Merely looking at the world around us is immensely different from seeing it.
When the eye wakes up to see again, it suddenly stops taking things for granted.”
~ Dr. Frederick Franck, The Zen of Seeing
Franck combined his art with natural surroundings to address both the heights and depths of humanity. As a child, he watched the Kaiser’s army invade Belgium, a half a mile from his doorstep. Endless lines of people filed past his house, fleeing burning villages, as they crossed the border into Holland. He had seen the worst of the human condition and went on to see, and celebrate, the very best.
At one time he submitted his art to a gallery, but quickly realized, and felt shamed, that his work wasn’t meant to be there. Later, he found his medium to be earth and plants, stone and steel. His Pacem de Terris, Peace on Earth Garden, his "six acre oasis of sanity", with an old grist mill he called his canvas, became his masterpiece. “The gallery artist may have died on Madison Avenue; but the image maker survived, was reborn.”
What is your medium? Do you have more than one? Have your creative outlets for expression changed over your life time? Are there some you haven’t explored? Are you creating a legacy or masterpiece that you haven’t realized was a work of art because it isn’t a traditional medium? Have your words made an impact? Have you mentored youth? Have you dedicated your life to being a behind the scenes supporter of people who are changing the world? Does your attitude and faith in the world make it easier for the people in your life to get up in the morning and face the world, in spite of challenges and struggles?
Reply in the comments below or send me an e-mail and let me know your story! [email protected]
At one time he submitted his art to a gallery, but quickly realized, and felt shamed, that his work wasn’t meant to be there. Later, he found his medium to be earth and plants, stone and steel. His Pacem de Terris, Peace on Earth Garden, his "six acre oasis of sanity", with an old grist mill he called his canvas, became his masterpiece. “The gallery artist may have died on Madison Avenue; but the image maker survived, was reborn.”
What is your medium? Do you have more than one? Have your creative outlets for expression changed over your life time? Are there some you haven’t explored? Are you creating a legacy or masterpiece that you haven’t realized was a work of art because it isn’t a traditional medium? Have your words made an impact? Have you mentored youth? Have you dedicated your life to being a behind the scenes supporter of people who are changing the world? Does your attitude and faith in the world make it easier for the people in your life to get up in the morning and face the world, in spite of challenges and struggles?
Reply in the comments below or send me an e-mail and let me know your story! [email protected]