Holzschnitt (Xylographie) – Geschichte und Künstler

Woodblock printing and its significance in art and culture

The woodcut is the oldest form of printmaking. This art form has survived many cultures over centuries. The woodcut, like the wood engraving or block print, belongs to the xylographic printing processes.

The woodcut is a type of stamping process. The matrix is carved into a block of wood. This creates a relief-like wooden stamp. The ink is applied to the stamp using a rubber roller. The paper or textiles are then pressed onto the wooden block to create an image.

Woodcuts (xylography) in Brazil

The woodcut is a tradition in Brazil that was brought to Brazil by the Portuguese conquistadors. The ready and affordable availability of wood, the ease of processing it and the generally low costs of the process quickly made this technique popular with the local population. For example, calendar sheets and brochures were printed in large quantities.

After Brazil gained independence, woodcuts were developed primarily in the Cordel region in the northeast of the country. Almost all popular Brazilian woodcuts have their origins in the literature of the Cordel region. The most important artists of the ‘Brazilian Academy of the Literature of the Cordel’ include Gilvan Samico, José Costa Leite, J. Borges, Amaro Francisco and José Lourenço.

History

The term ‘xylography’ is derived from the Greek words ‘xylon’ and ‘grafo’, meaning wood and writing (or engraving). The woodcut is one of the oldest known printing processes in the world.

The first known woodcut was made in China in 868, and in Egypt there was already engraved wood for fabrics, produced in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. The first prints on paper date from the 8th century AD. The Copts, who originated from Egypt, brought woodcuts (xylographs) to Europe, where they have been produced since the 14th century. One of the oldest works still in existence in Europe today is the ‘Madonna del Fuoco’, which can be admired in the cathedral of Forlì (Italy).

The chiaroscuro engraving technique, which used two, three or four different types of wood, was developed in the 16th century. With the spread of the printing press, this technique offered a new way of illustrating books. But woodcuts also found their way into art, as impressively demonstrated by the works of Albrecht Dürer from the early 16th century.

                                                                             

In the 17th and 18th centuries, copperplate engraving slowly replaced the woodcut. Nevertheless, individual artists continued to use the latter later on.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Adolfo De Carolis brought about a splendid rebirth of xylography in Italy.

In Brazil, J. Borges from Pernambuco celebrated worldwide recognition. This opened the door to exhibitions abroad. In 1992, his works were shown at the Stähli Gallery in Zurich and the Santa Fe Museum of Popular Art in New Mexico. This was followed by further exhibitions in Europe and the USA. In 2002, he was one of thirteen artists selected to illustrate the United Nations' annual calendar. His woodcut ‘Life in the Forest’ opens the year in the calendar.

José Lourenço Gonzaga, born in Juazeiro do Norte in the state of Ceará, is also worth mentioning. As an educator, he has contributed greatly to the education of several generations. His influence extends to the historical rescue and revitalisation of the Lira Nordestina, as well as to the technical and artistic practice of woodblock printing.

Technique

The woodcut is an intaglio printing technique that is printed on paper or other suitable supports. It can be compared to a stamp. An image is carved into a piece of wood a few centimetres thick using a knife or graver. This creates ridges and areas that absorb the ink during printing and transfer it to the paper. The resulting wood matrix is called a black cut. The subsequent letterpress printing process used to be done manually, later by printing presses.

"The man from the countryside is above all a strong man"

Euclides da Cunha's words apply more than ever to the efforts of the people of the Northeast, who founded the Academia Brasileira de Literatura de Cordel (ABLC) on 7 September 1988. Their aim: to disseminate and protect the art of the Northeast throughout Brazil and the world.

The charming headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, in the equally picturesque neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, is home to more than 13,000 strings of poets from the Northeast of Brazil.

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