SURF

Droege was a German artist, born in Hamburg, who studied art in Darmstadt and Düsseldorf. A pivotal moment came in 1922 when Droege started to experiment with colour woodblock printing, a medium on which he would focus from that point onwards.  He developed a distinctive style of soft painterly gradations in his prints by using multiple wooden plates and printing with oil-based inks on Japanese paper.  Japanese art was a huge influence on his work, in particular the Shin-hanga (literally new print) movement of the early twentieth century which combined aspects of Western art, in particular atmospheric effects of light, and mood, with a traditional Japanese aesthetic.

Droege’s artistic career was interrupted by both World Wars, he served as a soldier for the German army, and was held in Russian captivity for a large part of World War II.  However once released he was quickly working again, and travelled extensively through Europe, via various means of transport, including a bicycle and a paddleboat making sketches that he would turn into meticulously crafted prints.

Medium: Woodblock in colour

Signed: Signed

Size: 29 x 54cm