Snapshot In Time: Red River was a movie that put the river and John Wayne in the spotlight. While Gustave Baumann was carving the blocks for ASPEN RED RIVER, elsewhere in New Mexico an archeologist was finding arrowheads that proved America was inhabited a long time before Columbus.

Art Smart Fact: In order to control and keep account of his woodcuts, Baumann developed his own inscription. A Roman numeral indicated in which batch the wood cut was printed (I, II or up to III). Then the number and planned edition total was written in (Baumann editions never exceeded 125.) Thus, the original Aspen-Red River woodcut this print came from was made in the III batch; it was number 67 in a planned edition of 125.

About The Art:Independent and influential, Gustave Baumann stands at the center of American color relief printmaking in the 20th century. He is considered by many to be the "best of the best" of any color woodcut artist who has ever worked in this difficult medium. Today, original woodcuts by Gustave Baumann cost thousands of dollars if and when you can find them.

But you don't have to win the lottery to own his work. This is a fine reproduction of the original woodcut titled ASPEN RED RIVER. Indeed, it is one of the best reproductions I have seen in over a decade of selling both original and replicated Baumann woodcuts. You will be very surprised how authentic the signature and hand-in-the-heart chop mark look and how good the colors are.....even the paper has texture. Several of the out-of-print reproductions have gone on to become valuable themselves; today ASPEN RED RIVER is one of the best buys at Peggity's.