Linocut Art Prints

Linocut is a workshop technique of relief printing in which the graphic is gouged onto a linoleum matrix using chisels, knives and needles. The prints are obtained using a hand press or a bookbinding cube. Linoleum, contrary to popular belief, is a material of natural composition: it is a mass of linen fibre, linseed oil, wood flour and pigment. The linocut was originally used for making wallpaper; it was not until the early 20th century that it was popularised as an artwork in its own right by Franz Cižek, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.