First seen in China around the
1st century, wood engraving or xylography
is the oldest engraving technique known. At the begining wood, usually pear tree, was
sawn, along the grain that is to say following the lines of fibre, a
method called " bois the fil ". The
engraver outlines his drawing with sharp tools (penknife, hollow chisel…),
raising the relief for the ink or the colour to be laid on. He leaves the parts
which are not meant to receive ink this is the so called "
blackline method ".
The lack of fineness of "bois de fil"
gave way to " bois de bout ". Box wood
is favoured for this technique. Cubes are cut out across the grain of the
wood and then pasted together and polished to offer the engraver a hard
and smooth surface. The artist carves this material using tools
different from those he would use for " bois de fil " : narrow-bladed
graver, scoop, scorper…
As for other engraving processes he executes
his design in reverse, in negative for it to
appear right way up when printed and carves as many
wooden plates as there are colours.
Artists such as Wohlgemuth, his pupil Dürer
and nearer us Laurens, Soulas, Chièze, Miro, Derain, Lorjou, etc. have
expressed themselves through this technique.
At the begining wood, usually pear tree, was
sawn, along the grain that is to say following the lines of fibre, a
method called " bois the fil ". The
engraver outlines his drawing with sharp tools (penknife, hollow chisel…),
raising the relief for the ink or the colour to be laid on. He leaves the parts
which are not meant to receive ink this is the so called "
blackline method ".
As for other engraving processes he executes
his design in reverse, in negative for it to
appear right way up when printed and carves as many
wooden plates as there are colours.