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Autumn Fruits

Print
1935 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Hermes, Gertrude (artist)

Gertrude Hermes studied under Leon Underwood in the early 1920s and later formed the English Wood Engraving Society with a group that included Underwood himself. She became one of the most innovative wood-engravers of the 20th century, using an enormous range of tools and a virtuoso technique to create an extraordinary sense of light and movement. She often used a larger format than was conventional for this medium, and a circular block.

Object details

Category
Prints
Object type
Print
TitleAutumn Fruits (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Wood engraving on paper
Printing Ink
Engraving Block
Paper
Wood Engraving
Brief description
'Autumn Fruits' by Gertrude Hermes. Wood engraving on paper. 1935
Physical description
Wood engraving, circular image of mushrooms, thistle heads, chestnuts and blackberries
Dimensions
  • Height: 39.8cm
  • Width: 28.6cm
Style
English Neo-Romantic
Production typeLimited edition
Copy number
3/30
Marks and inscriptions
  • Gertrude Hermes Autumn Fruits (Signature and title; pencil)
  • 1935 (Date; pencil)
Gallery label
(August 2019)
Hermes used a circular woodblock to create this celebration of nature. The striking contrast between the black and white areas is enhanced by richly-textured detail. Using a variety of tools, some with multiple teeth, Hermes created patterns of fine lines for the mushroom gills and spiky prickles of the teasel plant. This inventive approach to mark-making made her one of the most innovative wood engravers of the 20th century.
Subjects depicted
Autumn
The Seasons
Nature
Fungi
Thistles
Blackberries
Chestnuts
Summary
Gertrude Hermes studied under Leon Underwood in the early 1920s and later formed the English Wood Engraving Society with a group that included Underwood himself. She became one of the most innovative wood-engravers of the 20th century, using an enormous range of tools and a virtuoso technique to create an extraordinary sense of light and movement. She often used a larger format than was conventional for this medium, and a circular block.
Bibliographic reference
Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design & Department of Paintings, Accessions 1947, London: HMSO, 1950.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.258-1947

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Record createdDecember 12, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O71966/autumn-fruits-print-hermes-gertrude/
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