Landscape and Houses (or, Woodstock, number 3, or Country Path)

gansotown

Emil Ganso (1895-1941), Landscape and Houses (or, Woodstock, number 3, or Country Path), c. 1928, signed in pencil lower right. Reference: Smith R-29, only state. In pristine condition, not mounted or matted, with margins, deckle edges sides and bottom, 3 7/8 x 5 3/8, the sheet 5 1/8 x 6 7/8 inches.

A fine impression of this tiny wood engraving, printed in black ink on a cream wove paper with the watermark ITALY.

We believe this is a relatively rare Ganso print; Smith did not know of an edition.

Starting in the late ’20’s Ganso spent much of May through November in Woodstock, New York, and in the period from 1925-30 he did most of his woodcuts and wood engravings. Wood engravings are often made in a small format largely because they are difficult to create – this is a relief technique where the artist uses engraving-like tools to cut the smoothed end of a log or board. Ganso learned this technique relatively early in his career; eventually he was to master most of the basic printmaking methods.

Reproduced in Rochester, Prints from the Collection of Charles Rand Penney, 76.