Harlem Beauty
1930
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
woodcut in black
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1974.84.1
Art Historical Context
**Harlem Beauty** (1930) is a striking woodcut in black by Werner Drewes a German-American artist who arrived in the United States that same year. Printed on paper, this work exemplifies the bold, graphic power of the woodcut medium—a relief printing technique where the artist carves away negative space from a wooden block, inking the raised surfaces to create high-contrast images. Drewes, influenced by European modernism, brought his expertise in printmaking to America, producing works that blend sharp lines and dynamic forms. Created during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, the title ev...
About the Artist
Werner Drewes
Werner Drewes (1899–1985), born in the village of Canig, Germany, to Lutheran pastor Georg Drewes, demonstrated early artistic talent at Saldria Gymnasium, excelling in painting and woodblock printing. Drafted into the German army at eighteen, he served on the Western Front during World War I, finding solace in sketching amid the horrors of war. Postwar, Drewes pursued architecture at the Technisc...