The Master of Light and Wood: The Life of Gustave Baumann Gustave Baumann was far more than a mere printmaker; he was a poet of the American landscape, a man who translated the rugged textures of the Southwest into a vibrant language of color and relief. Born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1881, his journey to becoming an icon of American art began with a transformative migration to Chicago as a young boy. The loss of his father during his adolescence thrust him into the world of labor early, forcing him to balance the heavy responsibilities of supporting his family with an unquenchable thirst fo…