Chiaroscuro Woodcuts: Masterpieces of Renaissance Printmaking

by Achim Gnann

  During the 16th century, a revolutionary printing process was developed in Northern Europe, allowing artists to produce color effects never before seen in printed media. The chiaroscuro woodcut added tonal blocks to the black line block to create an interplay of light and dark. This beautiful volume brings together 120 masterpieces of the chiaroscuro woodcut technique, examining the fascinating history of the medium and showing its spread to Italy and the Netherlands. Drawn from the collections of the renowned painter Georg Baselitz and the Albertina Museum in Vienna, the book includes masterpieces from Cranach, Burgkmair, Baldung Grien, and Wechtlin from the Du¨rer circle of artists; Albrecht Altdorfer; the Sienese artist Beccafumi; and the undisputed Italian master of the genre, Ugo da Carpi.

Genres: Art

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2014

Reviews

[Grace B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't even begin to express how glad I'm to have this beautiful book in my collection! The chiaroscuro woodcut prints are captivating on their own, but having all the context written by knowledgeable people who are genuinely interested in the topic, makes it even more special. You appreciate the details and craftsmanship of this technique and how unique and well-thought-through each print is. Kudos to Georg Baselitz for sharing his extensive collection. Such a lucky person to have been able to collect all these precious prints! This is probably the best book about chiaroscuro prints, so if you have any chance, please do check it out!

[Firefox · Rating 2 out of 5]

not so artistically presented