Alwin Carstens (1906-1982) - Richtung Gleis - Wood Engraving

Superb black and white woodcut by Alwin Carstens, shown here unframed, on Japanese paper. Stamped on the back with the studio stamp "Alwin Carstens, 1906-1982, Nachlass". Dimensions: 53 cm x 48 cm for the sheet, 36 x 32 cm for the printed area. In very good condition. Alwin Carstens (Hamburg, 1906 – Hamburg, 1982) Painter, draftsman, and wood engraver. A Hamburg artist, Alwin Carstens trained locally and developed a graphic practice from the 1930s onward, much of which was lost during the bombings of 1943. After 1945, he resumed his work in a context of artistic reconstruction, turning to panel painting and wood engraving, a medium in which he fully expressed himself. His recurring motifs—views of the port of Hamburg, industrial silhouettes, bridges, and cranes— They extend the expressionist legacy through a powerful treatment of lines and masses. From the 1950s onward, his language evolved toward a more structured abstraction, blending geometry and colorful rhythms, in dialogue with German Art Informel. Belonging to the Verschollene Generation, Carstens embodies those artists whose careers were marked by war and reconstruction. His work, largely preserved in his studio (often stamped with the "Alwin Carstens 1906–1982 Nachlass" stamp), remains regularly represented on the art market, particularly for his port-themed wood engravings and his mature abstract compositions.