History of Woodcuts
No one knows the origin of woodcut prints, only that the cutting of an image into a wood plank, inking and printing that image onto another material, is the earliest known means used by artists to make multiple copies of works of art. Prior to that each creation stood as a unique and singular piece.
The oldest known dated print is a Buddhist scripture from A.D. 868. This is a fully realized reproduction. The intricacy of detail and skill of execution indicate a mastery of the technique and a long tradition. The Chinese, having invented paper around A.D. 105, used their early woodcuts to stamp and seal official writings. The wood cut was pressed into softened wax to create a seal or was then inked and pressed onto the paper. As the woodcuts became more detailed and expressive, the placing of the paper over an inked block was used to produce fine art prints. Woodcuts flourished in the East, but would have to wait until the first paper mills were built in Europe toward the end of the 14th century before becoming popular in the West. Artists like Albrecht DRER (1471-1528) started the western woodcut tradition and took the art of cutting and...
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