Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Drewes, Werner |
Title |
PORTRAIT OF GERHARD MARCKS |
Date |
c. 1935 |
Medium |
woodcut |
Culture |
American (German-born) |
School |
American Abstract- Bauhaus/Works Progress Administration (WPA) |
Object ID |
1976.283 |
Collection |
Modern Art (1900-1970) |
Object Name |
|
Credit line |
Gift of the Heller Foundation, Washington D.C., in memory of Lawrence J. Heller |
Didactic Information |
The WPA Connection (8/9/14-7/5/15): German born painter, printmaker, etcher and teacher, Werner Drewes was part of the Bauhaus movement before immigrating to New York in the midst of the Great Depression. An involved member of the WPA, Drewes taught at the Brooklyn Museum from 1934 to 1936 and served as the director of the Federal Arts Project's (FAP) graphic art program in 1940. Originally a self-taught printmaker, Drewes translated his drawings into wood and linoleum cuts before eventually seeking formal training in painting and drawing at the Bauhaus under artist Wassily Kandinsky. Serving for a short time in World War II, Drewes identified with expressionist art for its ability to help him identify and deal with personal issues stemming from wartime experiences. With a range of subject matters from portraits to landscapes, Drewes' graphics are composed of sharp angles and cubist shapes. His cuts to the wood and linoleum are deep with an expressive use of light and dark areas. |