Paul Coldwell

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Ink Paper Chisel Grain

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Paul Coldwell is one of Britain’s most distinguished printmakers . . . in this beautifully illustrated book he sets out to show how the humble woodcut, which uses the simple elements of ink, paper and wood, has forged a central role in the history of art . . . Coldwell has produced a fascinating account of the hidden history of the woodcut . . . There is no doubting his passionate belief in the power of a woodcut to stir primal emotions in artist and viewer alike

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A Remarkable History of Woodcuts

This is a book about why the woodcut matters and why its power to shock, thrill and inspire has never diminished. From third-century China through to the present day, celebrated printmaker Paul Coldwell explores how we have used the medium to visualise ideas, capture key moments in history and help shape the society around us, telling the story of the art form itself in all its historical and intellectual significance. 
 
Beautifully illustrated throughout, Ink Paper Chisel Grain is an ode to craft and care, conveying the marvel and excitement of seeing a woodcut for the first time – and what makes these encounters so unforgettable.

'A fascinating account of the hidden history of the humble woodcut' SUNDAY TIMES 
 
Ink Paper Chisel Grain is a dazzling journey through 500 years of art, ideas and human imagination, told through one of the most enduring and versatile artistic mediums ever created. 
 
At its simplest, a woodcut begins with a piece of wood, a cutting tool, ink and paper. Yet from these humble materials artists have created some of the most powerful images in human history. In Ink Paper Chisel Grain, artist and printmaker Paul Coldwell invites us into intimate encounters with the works and makers who transformed woodcut from a practical technology into a vehicle for beauty, revolution, protest and wonder. 
 
Travelling across centuries and continents, Coldwell guides us from Albrecht Dürer’s apocalyptic visions and Hokusai's Great Wave to Käthe Kollwitz's searing anti-war prints and the monumental contemporary works of William Kentridge. Along the way we meet artists, printers, collectors, curators and craftsmen; step inside museums, archives and studios; and discover how a simple process of cutting into wood helped shape the visual culture of the modern world. 
 
Part history, part travelogue, part meditation on art and making, Ink Paper Chisel Grain reveals how woodcut has survived every technological revolution thrown at it, celebrating the enduring human impulse to leave a mark.

A dazzling journey through five centuries of art, ideas and human imagination, told through one of the most enduring and versatile artistic mediums ever invented - the woodcut. 
 
At its simplest, a woodcut begins with a piece of wood, a cutting tool, ink and paper. Yet from these humble materials artists have created some of the most powerful images in human history. Here, artist and printmaker Paul Coldwell invites us into intimate encounters with the works and makers who transformed woodcut from a practical technology into a vehicle for beauty, revolution, protest and wonder. 
 
Travelling across centuries and continents, Coldwell guides us from Albrecht Dürer's apocalyptic visions and Hokusai's Great Wave to Käthe Kollwitz's searing anti-war prints and the monumental contemporary works of William Kentridge. Along the way we meet artists, printers, collectors, curators and craftsmen; step inside museums, archives and studios; and discover how a simple process of cutting into wood helped shape the visual culture of the modern world. 
 
Part history, part travelogue, part meditation on art and making, Ink Paper Chisel Grain reveals how woodcut has survived every technological revolution thrown at it, celebrating the enduring human impulse to leave a mark.

Paul Coldwell is an artist, curator, researcher and writer who has worked with and studied woodcuts for more than fifty years. His work has been exhibited in numerous public collections, including the Tate, the V&A, the British Museum, the Musée d'art et d'histoire (Geneva) and MoMA (New York), and since 2001 he has been a Professor in Fine Art Printmaking at the University of the Arts London. He has been a regular contributor to publications including Art in Print, Printmaking Today and Print Quarterly, and he is the author of several books, including Printmaking: A Contemporary Perspective.

Ink Paper Chisel Grain

A Remarkable History of Woodcuts

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About Paul Coldwell

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