After the war, Europe was again open and free. In 1947, Rodhe made his first trips to France and Italy, resulting in a plethora of travel drawings. A few years later, he travelled again, visiting France, Italy, Spain and North Africa. (At the Louvre, 1947). His swift yet precise ink drawings reveal his curiosity about the cultures and everyday life he encountered there. The travel drawings continued to be a vital element in Rodhe’s practice, and there are many works of this kind in the collection, including Street Scene from North Africa, 1953. These trips also helped develop his artistic skills and provided new subjects for him to explore. The triangle theme appeared in Paris in the late 1940s, the Blocks and Rotors came to him in Capri in 1953, and the latter, despite their concrete style, are explorations of light and shade in city scenes. (Block drawing, 1954). Moreover, Islamic art, especially the patterns and ornamentation, had a pivotal and lasting influence on him throughout his career.
Gatumotiv från Nordafrika, 1953
Further reading
Thomas Millroth, Lennart Rodhe, Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening, Uddevalla 1989
Börje Magnusson och Thomas Millroth, Rodhe som grafiker, Atlantis, Värnamo 1993
Per Bjurström, Bagateller, Carlssons bokförlag, Malmö 1995
Per Bjurström, Blockteckningar och reseskisser, Carlssons bokförlag, Malmö 1995
Mailis Stensman, Rodhe som textilare, Norstedts förlag, Värnamo 1995
The book Rodhe som grafiker (Rodhe as a Graphic Artist) includes a comprehensive biography and bibliography, along with an index stating where his prints have been exhibited.