Object Image

Central Density

Werner Drewes experimented with printmaking his entire life, but considered himself primarily a painter. In Central Density the diagonal lines create a sense of depth, leading from the edges of the canvas to a converging point in the center. The composition evokes mirrors placed at different angles, reflecting and refracting chunks of colored light. It is easy to imagine getting lost in this maze of color, because we cannot tell what is "real" and what is a reflection.

Credit: Museum purchase

1973
Oil on canvas
101.0 x 85.8cm
1975.116
Image and text: Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2024

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