April

Prints and Drawings

1930

Gustave Baumann
American, 1881-1971

One of Gustave Baumann’s most beloved prints, April displays the artist’s playfulness, as he altered the printed surface with aluminum leaf. To create this seamless effect, Baumann printed the image of the tree first, then added a layer of aluminum leaf, using adhesive in the blank passages. He then brushed away the leaf that had not adhered, revealing the printed image beneath. The softness evoked by the tree in bloom is contrasted with the cool, metallic background.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Gustave Baumann
Title: April
Place: United States (Artist's nationality)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1930
Medium: Color woodcut, with aluminum leaf, on cream laid paper
Dimensions: Image: 33 × 32.8 cm (13 × 12 15/16 in.); Sheet: 43.2 × 35.3 cm (17 1/16 × 13 15/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Gustave Baumann as a memorial to Mrs. Coonley Ward
Reference Number: 1934.44

Chamberlain 135 1

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