Distinguished Artist Series
The Life and Art of Karl Baumann
by Lauri Hoffman, Curator
Towards the late 1940s, Baumann became
highly respected in the Bay Area art community. In 1947, he was hired as
an instructor at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. He
also taught at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art where it was necessary
to expand the six week course to eighteen weeks to accommodate the 120 students
who responded. Baumann remained modest about his impact on young artists.
He wrote, "As far as teaching goes, I always felt inwardly that for
one who has so much trouble with his own creating and his limitations, how
[can I] have the nerve to try to teach others the things [I] have to struggle
with and can not always master?" As for his contributions, he believed
that he helped the student with the basic principles of seeing things and
building them into a composition. "That is about all one can teach."
Judging by his students' responses, Baumann's influence
reached far deeper. Nathan Olivera studied under Baumann for the six years
that Baumann taught at the California College of Arts and Crafts. As Olivera's
first painting teacher, Baumann made him aware of the properties of oil
paint. Olivera explains that Baumann would crumble a cigarette foil in the
palm of his hand and then tack it on the wall to demonstrate the values
of protrusion and recession. He introduced the concept of "Push and
Pull" which became the underlying theory of the California Abstract
Expressionists in the early 1950s. "Push and Pull" refers to the
malleability and aliveness of the oil medium." In "Space Concept,"
1949, the plasticity of oil paint is celebrated as forms protrude and recede,
defining the third dimension of paint. In a review of Baumann's paintings,
E.M. Polley wrote, "Baumann must love to paint, as such! There is a
sort of generous' quality about his paint surfaces, as if he loved to smear
paint just for the joy of seeing it hit the canvas. But he does not let
this toy get out of hand - his color areas glow and flash, but they are
well-controlled by a masterful use of design." 
As a mature artist, Baumann found freedom in paint itself. Form, color, and texture communicate raw emotion. No longer was the artist bound within the restraints of definable subject matter. Baumann explained, "To me, painting is something which has its own life, always ready for your response, understanding, discovery and enjoyment. I never ask 'What is it? It is. Regardless of subject matter or handling - abstract, suggestive or what some people call naturalism - it always is."
Baumann's understanding of color was another aspect by which his students benefited. Vincent Smith wrote, "[From Baumann] I learned to mix every possible color from the three primary colors. We used what could be called a restricted palette. From three primary colors warm, and three primary colors cool, we learned to mix all colors ... he could play color like a musician, loud, soft, subtle, exciting, peaceful."
Above Left: Country Summer Evening, 1949, oil on board, 21 1/4 x 26 1/2 inches; Upper Right: Sausalito, 1952, oil on board, 20 x 26 inches
This page was originally published in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information. rev. 10/28/11
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