Turn of the Fire

After working as an illustrator Ruth Baumgarte found ultimate fulfillment as a painter when she started visiting Africa in the 1950s. She traveled to the African continent forty times over the course of her life. Her large-format oil paintings, often created from memory in her studio, are both a joyful expression of her love for the land and people, but also a way of preserving cultures. This book features both renowned and lesser-known works, including portraits, landscapes, and graphic works and all have her individual, rapid stroke style. Saturated with bright primary colors, these paintings leap off the page, and give off a nearly palpable heat. With rich illustrations, this book shows Ruth Baumgarte’s impression of Africa as a captivating and beautiful place.