Oscar Droege, master of woodcuts

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Just look at these pictures! DroegI could look at Ocar Droege’s work all day.

There’s not a great deal of information available online about Droege; it seems he was based in his native Germany, but during his life he travelled around Europe by bicycle and sailing boat. He was an active artist from the early C20th, fought in the Second World War and was taken captive by the Russians. He died in 1983.

I find that Droege’s images combine the best aspects of both graphic design and fine art. The scenes he chooses have a timeless appeal, the reflections and composition are exquisite and the colours are deliciously luminous. For me, his trees in particular have the most attractive delicacy.

So, it seems marvellous that these are prints, created from woodcuts, rather than painted. I can only imagine the skill, planning and years of practice it must take to be able to produce this kind of image.

Why aren’t woodcuts like these valued more highly?

(images sourced from Google Images)

14 thoughts on “Oscar Droege, master of woodcuts”

  3. I’ve never heard of Droege (but then I am a bit illiterate as far as art history is concerned). These images gel perfectly with me…they’re tonal/near monochrome, a style which I have a particular fondness for. It’s funny how people place enormous value on some blobby piece of art but fail to see the painstaking craftsmanship in something like woodcuts. Maybe people don’t value them because they’re not coloured; unfortunately in the age of technicolor the beauty of tonal work has been rather ignored. I must look for more of this chap’s work, I like what I see.

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    • A quick Google should give more images Chris… I’m so glad you like them. I think his work is fab. We’re lucky enough to have one of his prints (Birches) which we got at a local auction (very cheaply, due to it being rather foxed), and it’s one of my favourites. His prints don’t make very much money (in art world terms) even when they’re in great condition.

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  6. “Why aren’t woodcuts like these valued more highly?” – Indeed! Even my mom seems to think my prints are nice but are really child’s play and why don’t I get back to oil painting? Lol.

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    • Ah, but prints have a beauty and charm all of their own, and from a commercial point of view are a MUCH more savvy investment of time… that’s a win-win, I’d say. Keep ’em coming! 🙂

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  7. Just discovered this artist and absolutely love his work . The woodcuts are exquisite thank you for your posting. Like you I have tried to find more about him and his work but very little info on the Internet .
    There only seems to be one publication about him ( in German ) but there appear to be no copies for sale anywhere.

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    • You’re very welcome – nice to meet another fan of the wonderful Mr D. Yes, I can’t fathom why there isn’t more interest, given the superb quality of his prints…If you do find any more info, I’d be very interested to hear about it. 🙂

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