Exploring the Influence of Renowned Artists on Lino Printing
Pablo Picasso and Modern Art’s Printmaking Legacy: Pablo Picasso’s foray into linocut art in the 1950s and 1960s brought a fresh perspective to this traditional form, with his bold and expressive styles. Picasso’s linocuts are particularly noted for their vibrant colors and the reduction method he employed, where a single block is used to print multiple colors. This technique is a testament to the possibilities inherent in lino printing and serves as an inspiration for artists seeking to innovate within the medium.
Angie Lewin and the Natural World: Angie Lewin is a celebrated artist whose distinctive lino prints, often inspired by the clifftops and saltmarshes of the Scottish Highlands, showcase the medium’s capacity to render intricate natural details. Her work embodies a harmonious blend of the modern and the traditional, influencing lino print artists to explore the beauty in nature’s patterns.
Contemporary Voices: Holly Cook, Sam Marshall, and Meg Buick: Emerging artists like Holly Cook, Sam Marshall, and Meg Buick bring new life and perspectives to lino printing. Cook’s lino prints radiate with a sense of playful narrative, Marshall’s work often features a stark, minimalist aesthetic, while Buick’s use of lino in her prints demonstrates a fluid, almost ethereal quality. These artists illustrate the medium’s versatility and its ability to convey a wide array of artistic expressions.
Read more about Lino Printing Artists
Deepening Technical Knowledge in Lino Printing Techniques
Colour Linocut’s Vibrant Complexity: Colour linocut is a complex process that involves using multiple lino blocks or layers to create a multicoloured print. This technique can produce vibrant prints with a rich depth of color.
Lino Printing within Relief Printmaking: As a subset of relief printmaking, lino printing shares its lineage with woodblock printing and engraving. It is defined by the principle of cutting away parts of the surface that are not to be inked, leaving a raised area that creates the image.
Read more about the process of lino printing
A Brief History of Lino Printing
Linoleum’s Journey from Floor to Fine Art
Linoleum, a material originally patented in the 19th century, was designed to meet the demands of a growing middle class for a durable yet affordable floor covering. Its composition—a concoction of linseed oil, pine resin, wood flour, and cork dust pressed onto a burlap backing—lent it the flexibility and resilience appreciated in domestic and industrial settings. However, it was this very practicality and the ease with which it could be cut and manipulated that caught the eye of artists by the early 20th century.
As a medium for artistic expression, linoleum was initially embraced by the German Expressionists, who found in it an alternative to the traditional—and often more expensive—woodcut. Its uniform texture allowed for smoother, more fluid lines, and its softness permitted quicker and less laborious carving. By the time of the Bauhaus movement, linoleum’s potential was being explored in earnest, turning it from a common floor material to a revolutionary tool for artistic innovation.
Post World War II, linoleum art enjoyed a period of popularity in schools due to its affordability and the relatively safe and easy process of carving it compared to wood. This period solidified lino’s place in the art education sector, where it remains a staple to this day. Moreover, its role in the DIY and craft movements from the 1950s onwards has secured linoleum a position as a democratic medium, accessible to all levels of society and skill.
This journey of linoleum from the floor to the fine art gallery underscores a broader narrative about the democratization of art materials and the ingenuity of artists in repurposing everyday materials to create meaningful, enduring art.
Printmaking in the 20th Century
The 20th century heralded a significant shift in the art world with the advent of modernism, and printmaking was no exception. The century saw an explosion of interest in the graphic arts, with advances in technology and a spirit of experimentation leading to a proliferation of printmaking techniques and styles. Artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, who were already pushing the boundaries of painting and sculpture, turned to printmaking to explore new forms of expression.
Picasso, ever the innovator, brought his distinctive vision to linocut, producing vibrant compositions that were at once a departure from and a continuation of his paintings. Matisse, in his later years, turned to the cut-out technique, which, while not printmaking in the traditional sense, shared with linocut the process of carving into a material to create an image.
The era also saw the rise of printmaking collectives and workshops, such as the Taller de Gráfica Popular in Mexico, which became centers of political and social expression. Printmaking’s accessibility and reproducibility made it an ideal medium for disseminating ideas and engaging with a broader audience.
In the United States, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) employed artists during the Great Depression to create prints, many of which were linocuts, for public buildings. This initiative not only provided employment for artists but also helped to cultivate a culture of art appreciation among the American public.
This period of innovation was also marked by the introduction of new materials and techniques, allowing for greater complexity and a broader range of textures and effects in printmaking. The result was that by the mid-20th century, printmaking was firmly established as a fine art, with artists using these techniques to create works that were as valued and sought after as paintings and sculptures.
The 20th century, therefore, was not just a renaissance for printmaking but a period in which the medium was redefined. Artists were no longer seen as craftsmen but as innovators and intellectuals, using printmaking as a tool to explore the aesthetic, cultural, and political dimensions of the modern world.
Read more about the history of printmaking
Why is Linocut Criticised?
Linocut, despite its popularity and unique aesthetic, faces several criticisms. Here are the main points often raised by critics:
- Durability: Linoleum, the primary material used in linocut printmaking, is inherently softer than wood, which is traditionally used in woodcut printmaking. This softness makes linoleum easier to carve, especially for beginners or those without specialised tools. However, this same characteristic also makes linoleum less durable. Over time and with repeated use, linoleum blocks can degrade, especially if used to produce large editions. This limits the longevity of the block and can affect the consistency and quality of prints in larger runs.
- Detail Limitations: While linoleum’s softness is an advantage for ease of carving, it also presents a significant drawback in terms of detail. The material does not hold extremely fine lines or intricate details as well as harder surfaces like wood or metal. Artists looking to achieve highly detailed and delicate designs may find linocut limiting. This limitation can be a significant barrier for those whose artistic vision relies on fine detail and precision.
- Simplistic Perception: Linocut is sometimes perceived as a more rudimentary or simplistic form of printmaking compared to other techniques such as etching, lithography, or engraving. This perception stems from the relative ease with which one can start making linocuts, as the tools and materials are more accessible and the learning curve is not as steep. However, this can lead to a misconception that linocut is a less sophisticated or less valuable art form. Critics may undervalue the skill and creativity required to produce high-quality linocut prints, overlooking the medium’s unique expressive potential and the artistic achievements of those who specialise in it.
Despite these criticisms, linocut remains a respected and widely practised form of printmaking. Many artists appreciate its bold lines, graphic quality, and the tactile nature of carving. The medium’s limitations can also be viewed as challenges that spur innovation and creativity, leading to distinctive and compelling works of art.