The woodcut

When you reproduce by means of printing, we call it graphic art. (photography is not a graphic art, because the "printing" is not done by pressure but is a chemical process).
Since the dawn of man, he has always felt the need to make copies of images in wax, clay, fabric or parchment. It was generally done by stamping. It is one of the oldest techniques to make a print from one object to another. The first examples of graphic art are the black and earth-coloured handprints in the caves of pre-historic man. The Chinese developed the art of printing a thousand years earlier than any other civilization. They printed fabrics or documents with paint and stamps, - the first woodcuts. A piece of wood, linoleum (or, maybe you remember from school, half a potato) is cut where you plan the white in the print. Then you denounce ink or paint. This will only take where the parts of the print form are high, the parts that were not removed or cut away. When printed, only these parts will have an imprint on your paper.
The woodcut has been in existence for more than two-thousand years now. The process can be varied in many ways. During our history, many artists have been inspired by its possibilities. Its style can be gentle and subtle or powerful and strong. The use of colour is also possible. Nowadays, after a lack of popularity there is a revival going on. Its popularity is also due to the fact that you do not need much equipment. You do not need very expensive kinds of wood; you can even make woodcuts from scrap-wood. There is also no need for expensive kinds of paper; you can achieve very beautiful results, using just a newspaper. Another advantage is that you don't necessarily need a press. I do my printing by hand, with the back of a spoon!

Click the image to see the making of a colourwoodcut (856 KB)
(PowerPointpresentation)

Statement about my woodcuts

Since studying at art school I've been fascinated by the making of woodcuts. Strangely, I hadn't done any woodcuts since, until I tried again very carefully about two years ago. Soon I wasn't that careful at all! I work very fast and with intuition. I don't make many sketches. I prefer to work as direct as I can. The result then is spontaneous and powerful. I soon realized why the works of Edvard Munch and the Brücke-artists had fascinated me during my time at art school. Their woodcuts are wonderfully direct, spontaneous and powerful. The wood works for them, not the knives. Almost without effort, it would seem. It justifies the material in every way. As beautiful the woodcuts of Dürer may be, to me, they are mainly drawings that have been cut out. I enjoy accepting the medium. The wood is the driver, not my design. This design can change a great deal while working.
To me the woodcut is mainly a black-and-white-technique. I use very little colour. When you use too many colours you have to plan very carefully. I cannot be as spontaneous as I want to be. There are some artists, like the Dutch artist Luuk Scholten for instance, who seem to avoid this problem in a natural way. I admire that very much.
Apart from the fact that cows are very beautiful animals, they are perfect for this technique. They cannot be more black-and-white, I would say.
But also landscapes are appropriate. The wood gives it an extra dimension. Especially in the white parts of the print where you can see traces of the cutting. It causes the landscape to "live" and be in motion.