The Entrance of Thy Words Giveth Light (Psalm 119:130), 1988
German-born Canadian, based in Vancouver, BC
oil on panel , 80 × 134 in. (203.2 × 340.5 cm
Gift of the Alloway Family
The text of this painting comes from the King James translation of Psalm 119:130: “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Peter has painted these words as though they are not only emerging from a field of color but are somehow generating it, shaping it, holding the entire play of light and dark in its letterforms.
About the Artist
Friedrich Peter is an artist, calligrapher, and teacher who immigrated from Germany to Vancouver in 1957. He is internationally known for designing widely used typefaces, including Vivaldi (1966) and Magnificat (1972), as well as several book illustrations, murals, postage stamps, coins, and medals. His calligraphic paintings of biblical texts emerged from “a reverential attempt to help see, read and speak anew” scriptural words of life: “[God’s] entry into my time and space as the ‘Living Word’ is beyond my comprehension. But I try to express in visible form and in letters, what I am persuaded by, His reality and truth.”