E-catalogue 31: The World in the Woodgrain

E-catalogue 31: The World in the Woodgrain

The woodcut has been with the western world since the early 15th century, and its rise as a popular form of the visual arts can be at least partially attributed to the ease with which woodcuts could be printed side-by-side with text composed from movable type. As a result, the woodcut, and its kissing cousin, the wood engraving, were the only media for illustrating printed books until the late-sixteenth century, after which point techniques developed for engraving on other surfaces--stone, copper, then steel--offering alternatives that displaced the humble woodcut. Yet, the process of transferring images to paper via a carved block of wood managed to bounce back, enjoying revivals as recently as the mid-twentieth century. Its resilience is perhaps the result of a level of expression that can be teased out of a woodblock's positive and negative spaces. It is an attempt to illustrate this wide range that lies behind our latest e-catalogue.

Helpful Hints
  • Check the spelling of your search words
  • Narrow your search criteria (e.g. only search by author, title or keyword)
  • Search only the last name of the author or illustrator you are looking for
  • Create a want for this search, and we will notify you via e-mail when a title
    matching your search criteria is available.

Try Another Search

$ min
$ max