Sleeping Woman
1926
Medium
drypoint
Dimensions
plate: 17.7 x 24.6 cm (6 15/16 x 9 11/16 in.) sheet: 24.5 x 31.8 cm (9 5/8 x 12 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1974.86.11
Art Historical Context
Werner Drewes created *Sleeping Woman* in 1926 as a delicate drypoint print, capturing a quiet moment of repose with remarkable sensitivity. At this early stage in his career, the German-born artist was exploring the human figure before fully embracing the abstract geometric style for which he later became known in America. The intimate scale of the plate—just under seven by ten inches—invites viewers to lean in and appreciate the subtle textures and soft contours that define the composition. Drypoint, an intaglio technique, involves scratching directly into a metal plate with a sharp tool, r...
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...