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"Laying Track", WPA-Era Woodblock Print with Nude Male Workers by Ruegg

$4,200
£3,166.82
€3,649.32
CA$5,826.54
A$6,528.60
CHF 3,398.39
MX$79,867.40
NOK 43,136.22
SEK 40,741.64
DKK 27,242.90
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About the Item

This remarkable -- perhaps unique -- woodblock print depicts a group of five nude male workers laying railroad track, their strong, muscled figures interlaced as they strive to move and set the ties. The figures almost seem to be carrying out an intricate choreography, which would make sense since the artist -- Verna (or Verena) Ruegg -- spent much of her career sketching ballet dancers and creating prints with dancing figures. Ruegg attended the Chouinard Art Institute and the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles and was a member of the California Art Club association. She suffered tuberculosis as a child, and later as part of her therapy she created ceramic pieces at Arequipa pottery near San Francisco. Her pieces were included in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and later she worked for Walt Disney Studios. The piece is signed in pencil in the lower lefthand corner. Dimensions include matte and frame; the visible print is 17 inches high by 18 inches wide.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 25 in (63.5 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Circa 1930s
  • Condition:
    Minor yellowing around border.
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU865145360662

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