Pelican Rookery

Pelican Rookery — Gustave Baumann. 1928.

Medium: tempera over graphite on gray paper. Dimensions: Image: 27.6 x 31.2 cm (10 7/8 x 12 5/16 in.); Sheet: 37.2 x 31.3 cm (14 5/8 x 12 5/16 in.).

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

Sketching trips throughout the Southwest and California stimulated Baumann’s imagination, and he returned home renewed and inspired. “When mental excursions within the four walls of the studio fail to get me anywhere, I begin to overhaul the sketching outfit. . . . And I’m off, taking with me the secret hope of a sketching ground no artist’s eye has ever beheld.” California brown pelicans nest in offshore colonies to protect their young from predators. Baumann’s only seascape, Pelican Rookery depicts the birds on a rocky outcrop along the Pacific shore near Monterey or Carmel. Using a palette of pale colors, the lively drawing, later translated into a color woodcut, depicts rippling water and silvery ocean reflections, while black strengthens shadows and delineates rugged curvilinear forms.

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.