Leonard Baskin was an American sculptor and printmaker best known for his woodcuts, chiefly for book illustration. He was the founder of the Gehenna Press (1942-2000), one of the first fine art presses in the US. Jewish culture is a prominent theme in his work. Both his father and brother were rabbis and Baskin himself attended a yeshiva (traditional Jewish school) as a child. The text in the bottom left corner of this piece says "Yom Kippur," a Jewish High Holiday also known as the Day of Atonement. Traditionally, Yom Kippur is observed with fasting, prayer, and introspection; there is a popular idea that during this day of intense self-reflection, people can rise to the level of angels, which Baskin alludes to in this work, depicting a man in the process of transformation. Baskin's work is held by major museums across the US.

Source:Des Moines Art Center News, Sep Ocy Nov Dec 2023