One of the earliest and most direct forms of printing, the technique of  woodcut was first developed in China sometime around the Ninth Century.  It was refined to a very high degree in the next few centuries in Japan, where techniques for multi-color prints were developed.  Many climbers will be familiar with one example of the work of  nineteenth-century Japanese artist Hokusai ; the image of the "Great Wave" was adapted as a trademark of Patagonia Inc.

 In Europe, the woodcut was revived by Paul Gauguin, and later Edvard Munch, who prefered to allow the crudeness of the carving technique itself become an expressive element. In the 1920's, the woodcut was popularized by the German Expressionist artists who exploited its potential for bold graphic statements. They produced images that combined a raw primitivism with the post-industrial angst already emerging in the inter-war years.


The print itself is made by carving into the surface of a flat block of wood, removing areas that will remain white. The result is a plate somewhat like a large typewriter key; the raised areas will take the ink and produce the image. Ink is applied to the carved plate with a roller, and paper pressed onto the surface of the plate, either by hand pressure or with a printing press. As many copies as desired can be printed. Although woodcuts are best known for the large black areas that they often use to dramatic effect, multicolored prints may also be made using a separate block for each color.

What is an edition?

The objective of printmaking is two-fold.  The first is aesthetic; each method of printmaking, whether woodcut, etching, lithography, or some other, produces an image with its own unique graphic "look".  The second is more practical; to create multiple identical copies of a given work of art for sale. 

A limited number of copies of a each work is printed and is referred to as an "edition".  The artist may chose to print an edition size of a few or a few hundred copies depending on anticipated demand for that work and the durability of the block.  Once all the copies of an edition are printed, no more may be produced, ensuring that the pieces retain their value for the collector.  The edition size is indicated at the bottom of the print, beside the artist's signature and is expressed as a fraction.  The bottom numeral is the number of copies in that edition.  The top numeral is the number of that particular copy.

In addition to the numbered edition, a few prints may be made for the artist's personal use and are referred to as "artist proofs". Traditionally, these are the first few prints made, when the artist is making final decisions on such issues as whether the block needs more carving, ink colors or paper choices. Artist proofs will be so labeled on the print in the place where the regular editions are numbered. Typically no more than 5-10% of the regular edition number will be made.