The artwork under discussion is a woodcut created by the artist Eric Gill in 1915. It is titled “Woodcut from the Christian Social Book the Devil’s Devices by H.D.C. Pepler, Showing a Bricklayer Overcoming the Devil Through Honest Work.” This illustration belongs to the Art Deco movement and serves as an example of its genre’s compelling illustrative style.
The artwork features a bricklayer in a poised and assertive stance, symbolically overcoming a personified representation of the devil. The bricklayer stands with a confident posture, tools in hand, suggesting the theme of triumph through honest labor. The devil, depicted in a submissive position beneath the bricklayer’s feet, conveys the notion of evil being vanquished by virtue and hard work. The use of stark black and white contrasts, typical of woodcut technique, emphasizes the dramatic tension and moral narrative encapsulated in this work. A brick wall in the upper section underscores the profession and integrity of the bricklayer, reinforcing the theme of honest labor overcoming malevolent forces.
