Völker und Sprachen auf der Erde (1940)

Dated 1940, "Völker und Sprachen auf der Erde" is an artwork by Wolfgang Preuss. About the period around 1940: Posters, magazines, and illustrated books were major ways for the public to meet new art and design. The first decades of the twentieth century were a period of rapid experiment, with Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, and the first abstract painting appearing within a few years of each other. The catalogue places it in Illustration. The format is landscape. Illustration, a short history: Printing methods such as woodcut, engraving, lithography, and photomechanical reproduction each shaped how illustrators worked. Illustration serves a text or a story, a tradition that runs from decorated medieval manuscripts to printed book plates, magazines, and posters.

Buying "Völker und Sprachen auf der Erde" means getting a digital file, not a physical print: Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI, delivered by email once payment is confirmed. A 300 DPI file is intended for printing at home or at a local print shop, where you can choose a matte, satin, or fine-art paper to suit the room. A landscape format suits wide, low wall spaces such as the stretch above a bed, mantel, or sideboard. A simple frame with a mat often helps an image settle comfortably into a room. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks. Hang the print away from direct sunlight, which over the years can fade any printed colour.

German

If you like the visual language of Wolfgang Preuss, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.