What is a Relief Print Artist?

While relief printing is an extremely old art form, there are many artists still practicing it today. Their art has been influenced by the great masters of the past, different cultural works and, most surprisingly, the printing press.

History

Relief printing has had a long history. Its first recorded use was in Asia during the 1st century, and it was later introduced into western culture around the 15th century. Relief printing served as the first form of mass producing literature.
While its beginning is rooted in the movable type process, it soon was adapted as a form of art creation that has never been forgotten. Simply put, a relief print artist is one who employs the relief print process to produce their work. Artists have often used relief printing as a way to mass produce work as well.

How It Works

Relief printing is similar to using a stamp. The artist applies ink or paint to the raised portions of the template and, while it is still wet, applies it to a canvas.
In other words, a design or drawing is drawn onto something like a linoleum block, a piece of wood or a Styrofoam tray. Then it is carefully cut out with a scalpel. This makes the drawn image indented. When paint is applied to the base, it only adheres to the areas that have not been cut out. This transfers the picture by making an impression of only the raised elements.

Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer was a well known relief artist of the Renaissance. He worked not only as an artist but also a printer, so his prints were known far across Europe.
While Dürer printed work of various subject matter, he is most famous for his beautiful renderings of Biblical subjects. Many of his prints are still used in Bibles today. They are also a favorite among preachers and teachers for clip art.

Japanese Relief Prints

Two famous Japanese artists that mastered the relief print are Katsushika Hokusia and Ando Hiroshige. They made their prints by using woodcut blocks. These men created art during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
One of the most famous prints in history was made at this time by Katsushika Hokusai. It is titled the "Great Wave." Hokusai was a tireless artist who produced around 35,000 drawings and prints during his lifetime.
Ando Hiroshige is most famous for his serene landscape images. His art is admired for its beauty and calming nature.
Together these artists made quite an impact on the western world and influenced many impressionist painters by the way they portrayed the world around them.

Edmund Evans

Evans is one of the best examples of a wood-engraver of the Victorian Era. He used his skills as a relief print artist to recreate some of the most famous watercolor paintings of his day. His print work is found in "The Art Album."

Modern and Contemporary Artist

The 20th century gave birth to many artists that fathered movements in their own right. Even so, many of them dabbled in relief printing of some form. Some of the most famous modern and contemporary artists include Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Robert Indiana.

References

• Relief Print
• Eyeconart
• The Art Institute of Chicago