Silver Sky by Gustave Baumann

Silver Sky by Gustave Baumann

Silver Sky

Gustave Baumann

Title

Silver Sky

 
Artist
Year
1935  
Technique
color woodcut, with aluminum leaf 
Image Size
12 1/2 x 13 1/2" image 
Signature
pencil, lower right 
Edition Size
14/120 I 
Annotations
titled in pencil, lower left 
Reference
Baumann 106 
Paper
cream Zanders laid paper with the Hand-in-Heart watermark 
State
published 
Publisher
artist 
Inventory ID
AB4209 
Price
SOLD
Description

Baumann first used metal leaf in 1928 for his color woodcut "Singing Woods" for which he employed gold, aluminum, or metal leaf as a sky color. In 1930, he produced three color woodcuts using aluminum leaf as a "color," these being "Processional," "April," "Tulips." In all, he created thirteen color woodcuts for which he used leaf.

This impression of "Silver Sky" was printed in the fall of 1935. A note as to the exact location has not been discovered in the Baumann archive but he exquisitely captured the luminosity of a rainy day in the American Southwest.

To print the leaf Baumann would print a block with mastic rather than color. As the mastic (a varnish) dried he would hand apply the leaf.