Behind every finished woodcut print there are countless preliminary studies, blocks and trial proofs. Cottonwood Tassels: Gustave Baumann’s Prints, Proofs, and Process,on view through March 9 at the University of New Mexico Art Museum, illustrates the steps and materials involved in creating an editioned impression of a woodcut print.
Gustave Baumann (1881-1971), Cottonwood Tassels #126, ca. 1943, tempera on brown paper. Purchase with funds from Elizabeth Wills and the Friends of Art.
Curated by Angel Jiang, Cottonwood Tassels: Gustave Baumann’s Prints, Proofs, and Process presents the UNM Art Museum collection as a teaching resource. “When I realized that we have a set of working proofs, wood blocks and a study that shows the progression of one of Baumann’s prints from beginning to end, I thought we had a great opportunity to use this material to demonstrate the process of making a woodcut,” says Jiang. “The aim is that everyone—from those who have little knowledge of printmaking to students and faculty studying and teaching its history and techniques—has something to take away from this exhibition.”
Gustave Baumann (1881-1971), Cottonwood Tassels, 1943, color woodcut, State I, ed. 6 of 125. Purchase with funds from Elizabeth Wills and the Friends of Art.
A master colorist and carver, Baumann (1881-1971) helped revive and popularize the color woodcut in the United States. Cottonwood Tassels, 1943, depicts a cottonwood tree at El Mirador Ranch in Alcade, New Mexico. Baumann executed every step of the printmaking process himself, using color, line and the medium’s experimental nature to create evocative images of the Southwestern landscape. The exhibition invites visitors to explore the craftsmanship and vision that lie behind every finished woodcut print. Through the display of wood blocks, color proofs, tempera studies and trial impressions, the exhibition showcases the labor, decisions and deep understanding of materials involved in Baumann’s artistic practice
For more information, visit artmuseum.unm.edu. —
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