linoleum block printing

linoleum block printing or linocut, 20th-century development in the art of relief cuts. The linoleum block consists of a thin layer of linoleum mounted on wood; in this the design to be printed is cut in the same manner as for a woodcut . The advantage of linoleum cuts lies in the softness of the material and the consequent ease with which it can be cut, but linoleum is not so suitable for fine lines as wood, nor can as many prints be produced. The process has been used widely in textile printing and in grade-school art classes. It is especially suitable for bold, decorative designs. Matisse's linocut illustrations for Montherlant's Pasiphaë (1944) show great sensitivity of handling.

Bibliography: See J. Elam, Introducing Linocuts (1969).

linocut. A term applied to the technique of making a print from a thick piece of linoleum and to the print so made. Linoleum was invented in the 1860s, but it was not used for printing (in the manufacture of wallpaper) until the 1890s. The technique is essentially a development of woodcut, the earliest of printmaking methods, but linocuts are much simpler to make because the material is soft and grainless and therefore easier to work. For this reason (and because the material is cheap) linocuts have been much used in the art education of children, the pioneer in this field being the Austrian painter and teacher Franz Čizek (1865–1946), who toured Europe and North America with examples of his pupils' work and had a great influence on art teaching. Because of the close association with children's art, the medium has been somewhat lightly regarded, but it has also been used by numerous eminent artists. The members of Die Brücke were among the earliest to adopt it (Heckel, who was making linocuts by 1903, before the group was founded, was probably the first major figure to take up the technique). Kandinsky was making colour linocuts by about 1907.

In Britain, the most important popularizer of the medium was Claude Flight (1881–1955). He was probably the first artist to specialize in the technique and he wrote two books on the subject: Lino-Cuts: A Handbook of Linoleum-Cut Colour Printing (1927, revised edn. 1948) and The Art and Craft of Lino Cutting and Printing (1934). Flight taught at the Grosvenor School of Modern Art in London, where his pupils included the Australian painter and printmaker Dorrit Black (1881–1951). After returning to Australia in 1929 she tried to promote the linocut as a form of original art that was cheap enough to be bought by the ordinary person.

The two most famous artists to use linocut are Matisse and Picasso. Matisse took up the medium in 1938 and made about 70 linocuts between then and 1952. Picasso made his first black-and-white linocut in 1939 and began making linocut posters in the early 1950s. In 1958–9 he made a series of 45 colour linocuts and in 1962–3 a series of 55 more. The medium is particularly suitable for colour prints, as several large blocks may be used without undue expense (Picasso, however, used a method of printing in several colours from one block).

linocut. A term applied to the technique of making a print from a thick piece of linoleum and to the print so made. Linoleum was invented in the 1860s, but it was not used for printing (in the manufacture of wallpaper) until the 1890s. The technique is essentially a development of the woodcut, the earliest of printmaking methods, but linocuts are much simpler to make because the material is soft and grainless and therefore easier to work. For this reason linocuts have been much used in the art education of children, the pioneer in this field being the Austrian painter and teacher Franz Cižek, who toured Europe and North America with examples of his pupils' work and had a great influence on art teaching. Because of the close association with children's art, the medium has tended to be somewhat lightly regarded, but it has also been used by eminent artists. The members of Die Brücke were among the earliest to adopt it (Heckel, who was making linocuts by 1903, before the group was founded, was probably the first major figure to take up the technique). Kandinsky was making colour linocuts by about 1907.

In Britain, Horace Brodzky was one of the first to take an interest in linocut, but the most important popularizer of the medium there was Claude Flight (1881–1955). He was probably the first artist to specialize in the technique and he wrote two books on the subject: Lino-Cuts: A Handbook of Linoleum-Cut Colour Printing (1927, revised edition 1948) and The Art and Craft of Lino Cutting and Printing (1934). Flight taught at the Grosvenor School of Modern Art in London (see MACNAB), where his pupils included the Australian painter and printmaker Dorrit Black (1891–1951). After returning to Australia in 1929 she tried to promote the linocut as a form of original art that was cheap enough to be bought by the ordinary person.

The two most famous artists to use linocut are Matisse and Picasso. Matisse took up the medium in 1938 and made about 70 linocuts between then and 1952. Picasso made his first black-and-white linocut in 1939 and began making linocut posters in the early 1950s. In 1958–9 he made a series of 45 colour linocuts and in 1962–3 a series of 55 more. The medium is particularly suitable for colour prints, since a number of large blocks may be used without undue expense (Picasso, however, devised a method of printing in several colours from one block). Because the surface can be cut rapidly and spontaneously, linocut is also highly suitable for big prints boldly conceived.