Woodcuts are printed from carved wood blocks from which white areas are removed and inked areas are left raised. Often, artists draw designs on paper and have professionals trace them and then carve the printing block using chisels, gouges, and knives. A thin layer of ink is daubed or rolled onto the carved block which can then be transferred to a page; the image will be reversed. The fine lines of Franz Marc’s Tiger contrast with the way Edvard Munch incorporated the wood’s grain into the final work. Multiple colors, as seen in Munch’s work, require multiple blocks; each carved with only the shapes that appear in one color.
Posted by Elizabeth Treptow
Franz Marc (German, 1880-1916). Tiger, 1912. Woodcut on Eastern laid paper, image. Brooklyn Museum, Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, 52.2.2 ⇨ Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863-1944). Moonlight (Mondschein), 1896. Color woodcut on laid paper, image). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 43.18. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 43.18.jpg)