| Description: |
A relief printmaking technique where an image is carved onto a block of wood by cutting away or reducing areas so the design remains on the surface. The block is cut along the grain of the wood, with commonly used materials being beech wood and cherry wood. The transfer of this design onto paper is achieved by inking the surface with ink or water based colour and applying pressure with a press or by hand with a baren (a Japanese rubbing tool) or even a spoon. Albrecht Dürer is known as one of the greatest and most influential woodcut artists, as illustrated by his prints such as the Apocalypse series from the end of the 15th century. In Asia, woodblock prints first appeared in China, and reached a high level of artistic development in Japan with the ukiyo-e genre from the 17th to the 19th century. |
| Source: |
Figura, Starr. “What is a Print?” The Museum of Modern Art. http://www.moma.org/interactives/ projects/2001/whatisaprint/print.html. “Printmaking.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 2010. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic /477079/printmaking. Thompson, Wendy. “The Printed Image in the West: Woodcut.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. 2000, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wdct/ hd_wdct.htm. (2010) |