Many types of art using wood are actually sculptures, but woodcuts are a slightly different form of art. The artist does not create a piece that is viewed from all directions, and they simply focus on bringing out a picture on one face of the wood. A woodcut will always have a flat side, and this makes it perfect for hanging on a wall. Many of these pieces are just as beautiful as a sculpture, and they require the artist to know their craft well.
While sculptures in any medium tell a larger story, woodcut pieces are more like precision sketches. They still transmit a message, but it is only done on a flat plane. The goal of the artist is to capture the viewer’s mind with a minimum of cuts and a few painted areas, and it takes a person with highly developed skills to accomplish all of this on a flat piece of wood.
There are no particular types of wood used in this art, and many artists use whatever is local to their area. Long considered a folk art, it has become recognized as art that has been handed down through many generations as a way to preserve a rural lifestyle. Modern artists may prefer to create large sculptures, but many of them began their careers in wood by learning how to make woodcuts.
As a folk art, they generally depict pastoral or rural scenes. The artist creates the feeling of a welcoming home by cutting out a wood and adding a few colorful touches of paint to enhance the perspective of the piece. Lines are as important in a woodcut as they are in sketches, and they perform the same function. They tell a story or create a feeling on a flat surface that can be proudly displayed on any wall.
