  
Though they were complex and exacting to produce--sometimes involving seven blocks to a single composition, months of work, many revisions, and innumerable proofs--Gustave Baumann’s woodcuts betray none of the effort that went into their making. They are self-contained, self-possessed small worlds that speak to the heart of simplicity.
As a very young man, Baumann (1881-1971) supported his family by working for a commercial engraving house. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago at night, and eventually saved enough money to study in Munich at a time when some of the world’s finest, most innovative blockprinting was being done there.
Baumann would remain faithful to the graphically straightforward, emotionally direct tradition of the Munich engravers all his life. In rural Indiana, New York, New England, and the Southwest (where he lived for fifty years), he produced work that captured the spirit of his surroundings with respect and deep affection.
Set contains: My Garden, 1924; A Quiet Corner, 1918; Grandma Battin’s Garden, 1926; and Summer Shadows, 1917. Twenty full-color 5 x 7" blank notecards (five each of four styles) with white envelopes in a decorative box. ISBN 0-7649-3736-7.
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