Woodcut paintings

Woodcutting - a masterpiece of graphic art

Woodcutting is one of the oldest types of embossed printed graphics. The word has ancient Greek roots: «xylon» means – "tree" and "grapho" – "drawing". Artists who carved pictures on wooden plates immediately apply paint to the convex side. After that, a print is made on a pre-prepared material: paper, fabric. To get a multi-color drawing, several boards are prepared at once, a certain shade is applied to each and pictures are taken in turn. During the creation of drawings, printed boards are used, on which the image is applied by carving. Special attention is required from craftsmen, because wood is one of the most complex materials, which is difficult to machine.

History of woodcuts

Woodcutting is famous not only for its beautiful drawings, but also for its ancient origin. It was first documented in 868 in China. This is the year in which the Diamond Sutra was performed. But despite its long history, this technique began to appear only in the 15th century in the Netherlands and European countries: in Spain, Germany, France, Italy. Most often, woodcuts were used during the production of illustrated books. They were very expensive, only well-to-do people could buy.

Thanks to the work of the great masters: Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Hans Holbein, this type of graphics has become a real tool for creating bright masterpieces in art. German woodcuts were somewhat reminiscent of paintings on glass. In the 17th and 18th century, woodcuts gradually began to disappear; they were replaced by deep engraving. In the nineteenth century, thanks to the masterpieces of Thomas Bewick, this art came back into fashion. Unusual woodcut engravings were very popular in the twentieth century. Used in the design of houses, apartments, walls, buildings, furniture. They gave a beautiful and unusual look.

How modern masterpieces are created using woodcuts

Graphics are considered unique all over the world, the number of circulations is produced in small quantities, because it is signed by the artist himself. A picture is made on the basis, it is painted in certain colors. The matrix can be of completely different types:

• metal plates are used during the manufacture of the impression;
• stone - in lithography;
• wood is used in woodcuts;
• linoleum in linocut.

For the production of a flat polished board, the following wood can be used: oak, pine, apple, cherry. The fiber is primed, the prepared drawing is applied with a pen. With a sharp knife, the lines on both sides are carefully cut off. During printing, the ink is applied beautifully, first with swabs, only then with a roller. A sheet of paper is placed on the convex side of the wood, it is evenly pressed through with a press. The drawing is smoothly transferred from the board to paper. In end woodcuts, dense wood is used. It is cut with a special cutter. Thanks to the end woodcut, the strokes are thin, even and beautiful, with varying degrees of saturation.