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The Autobiography of Gustave Baumann
Gustave Baumann (1881–1971) began his career as a commercial artist in Chicago. A craftsman by nature, in 1905 he turned his hand to traditional woodcut printmaking. Five years later he joined other artists in the hill country of Brown County, Indiana, where he pursued his goal of creating “good pictures at low cost.”
Over the years, Baumann carved a path into the art world on his own terms. He sought out picturesque surroundings, affordable living, and a peaceful atmosphere conducive to creating his art. He left Indiana in 1917 but never lost touch with his modest beginnings or his desire for a simple life. His journey took him to the Northeast, then to Taos, New Mexico, and finally to the “small, untroubled world” of Santa Fe. He married, raised a family and became an active member of the community, all while mastering the painstaking art of the color woodblock print.
Written when he was nearing seventy, The Autobiography of Gustave Baumann illuminates the personality of the artist through anecdotes of town and family life, observations of society, and musings about the role of artists and their art.
Edited by Martin Krause, Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the book is thoroughly annotated with details of personal, cultural, and historical significance. Eighty-plus color reproductions of Baumann’s works and three dozen photographs accompany the text.
Over the years, Baumann carved a path into the art world on his own terms. He sought out picturesque surroundings, affordable living, and a peaceful atmosphere conducive to creating his art. He left Indiana in 1917 but never lost touch with his modest beginnings or his desire for a simple life. His journey took him to the Northeast, then to Taos, New Mexico, and finally to the “small, untroubled world” of Santa Fe. He married, raised a family and became an active member of the community, all while mastering the painstaking art of the color woodblock print.
Written when he was nearing seventy, The Autobiography of Gustave Baumann illuminates the personality of the artist through anecdotes of town and family life, observations of society, and musings about the role of artists and their art.
Edited by Martin Krause, Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the book is thoroughly annotated with details of personal, cultural, and historical significance. Eighty-plus color reproductions of Baumann’s works and three dozen photographs accompany the text.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 22, 2015
I'm giving this 5 stars even before I read it because I love Gustave Baumann!!!
June 17, 2025
“The Autobiography of Gustave Baumann,” is a deftly written chronicle of the art and life of Mr. Baumann. Baumann was born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1881, and moved to the United States in 1891 with his family. While still 17, he was working for an engraving house, and attending classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. He returned to Germany in 1904 to attend the Kunstgewerbeschule in Munich where he studied wood carving and the art of making woodblock prints. After returning to the United States, he began producing colored woodcuts as early as 1908.
Moving to Nashville, Indiana where he joined the Brown County Art Colony, developing his printmaking techniques. Generally, Baumann followed a method of relief printing using oils and printing his blocks on a small press. At the time, many artists were experimenting with hand brushed woodblock prints in the Japanese kappazuri style.
In 1918, Baumann traveled to Taos, New Mexico, an artist mecca in the Rio Grande Valley. There Baumann’s education truly commenced. He wrote, “( I )... learned too late that a palette and theories regarding color east of the Mississippi should all be tossed in the river as you cross the bridge.” The social life in Taos proved a distraction, so he decided to explore the art scene based around Canyon Boulevard in Santa Fe. Paul Water, and a number of other artists, persuaded Baumann to stay in Santa Fe, where he remained until his death in 1971.
This brief book is richly illustrated, and documents an artist and an art form that is overlooked in our time.
Moving to Nashville, Indiana where he joined the Brown County Art Colony, developing his printmaking techniques. Generally, Baumann followed a method of relief printing using oils and printing his blocks on a small press. At the time, many artists were experimenting with hand brushed woodblock prints in the Japanese kappazuri style.
In 1918, Baumann traveled to Taos, New Mexico, an artist mecca in the Rio Grande Valley. There Baumann’s education truly commenced. He wrote, “( I )... learned too late that a palette and theories regarding color east of the Mississippi should all be tossed in the river as you cross the bridge.” The social life in Taos proved a distraction, so he decided to explore the art scene based around Canyon Boulevard in Santa Fe. Paul Water, and a number of other artists, persuaded Baumann to stay in Santa Fe, where he remained until his death in 1971.
This brief book is richly illustrated, and documents an artist and an art form that is overlooked in our time.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews