These wood engravings are by Gerard Brender à Brandis, most carved as white light into the black “canvas” of a wood block. He is well known for his painstaking precision. (Above: One of his color engravings, Kettledrums)
He restores, with exacting detail, the small, forgotten wonderments of the world around us: an abandoned barn; an empty room glimpsed through a doorway; a solitary beetle; a single flower. The stark contrast of black and white throws every subject into vivid relief, bringing out the intense and immediate power of simple structures, their pure, unenhanced lines. –Artist Biography (Above: Cape Race, Nfld /Below: Positive Organ)
Gower St., St.Johns
Born in the Netherlands Gerard Brender à Brandis came to Canada with his family in 1947. After completing his B.A. in Fine Arts History at McMaster University, in 1965, he has been represented in international private and public collections including: The National Gallery, Ottawa; The Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton; The Hunt Botanical Library, Pittsburgh; The Missouri Botanic Garden and The Arnold Arboretum, Boston.
The website of Gerard Brender à Brandis, here.
A large selection of his work at The Art Exchange, here.
Categories: wood
Canadian Art Junkie 
These are so beautiful — and inspiring! I may have to plan a trip to Stratford to see his studio…Thanks for sharing this!
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Good idea. And lots of other wonderful artists in that area of Ontario, not to mention the festival and antiques!!
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Oh boy, art + festivals + antiques! Now, it’s a bucket list item! LOL.
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Striking images! I didn’t know anyone did this anymore. I love his work.
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You’re right, very rare. Exquisite work, isn’t it?
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Yes, exquisite is a good word for his work.
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I have visited Brandis’s studio in Stratford — not only does he do beautiful woodcuts, he is one of the few remaining practitioners of hand-set type. His work is fantastic, and I’m pleased to say I own a few small examples of his work myself.
If you’re in Stratford and can visit his studio, I highly recommend it.
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Great to know Matthew, thank you. I’ve heard a great deal about his work, all of it very much as you’ve described. His technique is clearly becoming a lost art.
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