Exhibit of Wood Engraving and Linoleum Cuts January 26, 2010
Posted by Deborah in : Exhibits, Jen Library, Useful Information , trackback
Zbigniew Jozwik, Autumn, Linoleum Cut International Grafik, Volume 7, number 3
For all of you print and engraving aficionados, we have a new mini exhibit in the Reading Room. We put several books and periodicals with beautiful examples of wood engraving and other printing processes on display. Several of the books were from a series on wood engravers called Engraver’s Cut, published by the Primrose Academy (Primrose Hill Press) in London. The press is dedicated to the publication and promotion of the art of engraving on wood for use as book illustration and as an art form.
Other examples are from International Grafik, a Danish art revue, edited between 1969 and 1980 by Helmer Fogedgaard and Klaus Rödel. It published in a numbered edition of 1000 copies and concentrated almost exclusively woodcuts, wood engravings, and linocuts, printed from the original blocks or plates. The text in was in English, Danish, German and French. International Grafik is new to our collection and each issue contains up to 30 original prints as well as articles. We have almost a complete run of this wonderful, but lesser known periodical. To see more on International Grafik, see the Adventures in the Print Trade blog. There you will find an article about Czech printers and some inspiring examples of wood engravings and linocuts exhibited as well.
Wood cuts and wood engraving differ in that the wood cut utilizes the soft side grain and the wood engraving is cut in to the end grain of the wood. The end grain allows for more precise, detailed images to be created. Both processes could be used in conjunction with printing presses, a great commercial asset in the 19th century. The linoleum cut or linocut utilizes a similar technique to wood engraving, but the process is much simpler and the materials less costly. It was originally thought to be a poor man’s or amateur’s engraving technique, but the results can be far different than wood, however, and when artists such as Matisse or Picasso created prints using linocuts, the medium gained popularity.
Some full text books on wood engraving are also available on a site about woodblock printing utilizing Japanese methods: David Bull’s Encyclopedia of Woodblock Printing
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