Martha Grüenwaldt

Belgium, 1910 - 2008

Martha Grüenwaldt was born to a large family of modest means in Walloon Brabant (Belgium).⁣
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⁣After years of heavy labour as a farm servant, when retirement around 1981, Martha began doing drawings on salvaged wrapping paper or the backs of posters and bills.⁣
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⁣Mostly, she used colored pencils she snitched from her grandchildren as well as gouache and crayons.⁣
⁣Her favourite subjects were the faces of her family members and acquantances: these she would encircle with organic shapes and colored abastract motifs. She also found inspiration in reproductions of works she admired, like the portaits of Giuseppe Arcimboldo.⁣
⁣Althought working in secret at first, she ended up distributing and offering her creations to the people around her. ⁣
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unknown title and date | crayon on paper, 21 x 27,5 cm⁣

unknown title and date | crayon on paper, 21 x 27,5 cm⁣

unknown title and date | crayon on paper, 21 x 27,5 cm⁣

unknown title and date | crayon on paper, 21 x 27,5 cm⁣

 

Photography: DR