Summer Rain

Gustave Baumann

This is a remarkable early impression with small clouds printed over the downpour of the rain. Baumann’s use of oil as a vehicle for his pigments created an image saturated in color. The only negative space is the highlights to the billowy ochre cloud sitting atop the hill.

One of Baumann's handwritten manuscripts contains the following quote:

Beginnings in new surroundings are always intriguing. Seeing things with a fresh eye is a great advantage. While most of us have an itch to be where we are not, some of us that chose to investigate Santa Fe found it a pleasantly colorful place worthy of a second look. While not as interesting as Taos it was easier to live in when you demanded domestic comforts.

Santa fe had a casual sense of order that was unhurried by traffic problems. Spanish speech was heard everywhere and Indians in colorful blankets added [a] certain picturesqueness while trying to trade for silver ware, blankets and pottery.