Summer Clouds

Summer Clouds — Gustave Baumann. 1926.

Medium: ochre proof. Dimensions: Image: 27.5 x 24.5 cm (10 13/16 x 9 5/8 in.); Sheet: 42.8 x 34 cm (16 7/8 x 13 3/8 in.).

Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Progressive proofs illustrate how an image is built as the blocks are printed in succession. While the first proof was printed in ochre, the second was printed in ochre and black. Translucent inks were used to obtain intermediate tones by overprinting. Black is printed on top of ochre to obtain a greenish-gray for the house. An additional block was printed for each remaining proof. Baumann cautioned that the “charm of a color woodcut is usually a by-product of good craftsmanship and does not become apparent until the print is thoroughly dried, and all the colors are amalgamated and set.” Summer Clouds won the prestigious Storrow Prize at the Seventh Annual Printmakers Exhibition in Los Angeles in 1926.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.