The Multiple Capabilities of Printing Block in Relief Engraving

Abstract

The wooden blocks represented the largest share of engraving along the history of this art. Wooden blocks were used in the form of cylinder seals, then blocks to be printed on fabrics. The first blocks were used for printing the Buddhism instructions, then paper appeared and the techniques of wood engraving were evolved to be ranging between relief engraving vertically or horizontally. The most important periods of evolution; was the Expressionism specially at Germans for what they introduced special artistic characteristics as feeling communication and direct expression and the characteristics of the Relief engraving of easy application in limited spaces and simplicity of preparations compared to other media that require much preparation. What are the multiple capabilities of a printing block in Relief engraving to get different results that bear the same visual values without prejudice to the characteristic of artistic print? The researcher outlined all the difficulties and disadvantages through an idea in one panoramic artwork consists of 3 parts using his special symbols like trees that connect the artistic factors in the artwork to represent life in the shape of the trees from which life begins and to which life ends _as stated in old civilizations_ and using other elements like a man who stands in the center of the artwork and the birds (i.e.: ostriches, goose) and fishes. All these elements represent the symbols and protagonists who steer the events producing this combined artwork so called “Subservience & Submissiveness”. The dominant idea of the gallery is highlighting how far we could benefit from printmaking and its blocks and pinpointing its capabilities of the multi visions in the same artwork. It is a “One Artwork Gallery” through utilizing these capabilities and pinpointing them to reach visual values in each work separately. The researcher presented the basic artwork through three blocks each of which is 70×80 cm in size and combined in a spacious area of 120×80 cm developing a panoramic combined artwork of which each part provides a different vision.