A Brief (so brief!) History of Linocuts

Linoleum was invented in the UK in the mid-1800s as a new type of flooring. By the late 1800s, artists had begun to use it for their own devices.

This piece by Bruce Porter is from 1895.

The first gallery showing of linocut art in the U.S. was in 1911 in NYC by the Czech émigré, Vojtech Preissig.

By the 1930s, "how-to" books were being published for the general public.

In 1936, Speedball began making their widely used carving tools and other printmaking supplies.

Pablo Picasso, most famous for his cubism, also made quite a few linocuts.

But now he's dead and you have me.

Linocut - Linograbado - Linogravure - Linolschnitt

Linocut art is made by carving an image into a block of linoleum, inking the block, and then pressing it onto paper.

The linoleum itself, specifically made for art purposes, is made of linseed oil (hence 'linoleum'), natural rosin, wood flour, limestone, and jute (for the backing).

The artist carves away what they don't want to print, thereby creating a negative space that the still extant lino will literally stand out from. The image must be carved backwards as the printed version will be a mirror-image to the carved block.

It'll twist yer head up!

FAQs

Q- How long did it take you to make that?
A- The actual process of carving the linoleum is pretty slow-going. I would say for most of my prints, it takes me two or three full days to finish.
Q- Do you do commissions?
A- Yes, I do commissions, but generally the price for those is around $1000 due to the time it takes to complete it. Send any inquiries to jackdawfolkart@outlook.com
Q- How should I frame this?
A- For any of the 9x12" prints, I like to frame them dry-mounted in an 11x14" frame. It shows off the torn edges and gives the piece a little breathing room inside the frame.
Q- Do you ever cut yourself?
A- Always! Everytime. It's all part of the process.
Q- Where do you get your ideas from?
A- Most of my art is just a mish-mash of pop-culture regurgitation, like a dream that blends together various elements of the day.