Die Gedanken Sind Frei

'Die Gedanken Sind Frei'

It's the 7th day of January 2015 and news out of Paris is that the offices of a satirical magazine were attacked by gunmen with the result of 12 dead and many injured.  Many of the dead were artists, or cartoonists as some would know them (unfortunately this always carries a connotation of being a lesser artist).  Whether or not I would agree with their work, they had the right to say it, to express their thoughts.  Sadly there are many who would not agree and use violence to make their point.

This image was done many years ago when I was doing lithographs.  Drawn onto stone and pulled in a small edition it was a self portrait of sorts entitled the thoughts are free: 'Die Gedanken Sind Frei."  A protest song with roots in the middle ages that I learned as a child from my mother.

Sadly I question how long, given the advances in technology and the radicalization of the world, that that will remain true.

One can only hope.

more on the song: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Gedanken_sind_frei