Holzschnitt

At the beginning is the woodcut. "Woodcut 1400 to Today" marks the start of a publication series that presents artistic printing techniques in their full diversity and centuries-long fascination, developed from the unique collection of the Berlin Print Room. Through approximately 100 artworks on paper—featuring masterpieces by Albrecht Dürer, Edvard Munch, and Käthe Kollwitz—the development of the technique is traced from its beginnings to the present: from Lucas Cranach and the chiaroscuro woodcuts of the Renaissance, through extravagant color prints of the Rococo and the watercolor-like prints of the late 19th century inspired by Japanese color woodcuts, to the radically reduced forms of expressionism and the revival of woodcut in modern times. The resistant and irregular nature of the material is also valued in contemporary art: photorealistic works to abstract large formats are produced as unique pieces, consciously opposing the reproductive character of the medium—giving the oldest printmaking technique a significant relevance today.