(European landscape)

Else von Schmiedeberg Blume

A tenderly wrought portrayal of a lakeside villa, in what appears to be a Mediterranean setting, is unlike much of Blume’s graphic work which often focused on still lifes. Cypress trees guard the arched doorways and landscaped grounds, and morning mists obscure the distant shore, leaving the tiled roofs to absorb the warmth of the sun.

Though we haven’t found much on the life of Else Blume, we know that she studied at the Leipzig Academy and in Munich and Paris, and she wrote teaching books on painting techniques and composition. Her works can be found in galleries and museums throughout the world. Her linoleum cuts are often larger and are frequently more saturated in color, and often focus on still lifes and bouquets, rendering this piece somewhat unusual in its small scale and delicate, understated coloring.