Woodblock Printing
People have been printing words and images for hundreds of years. The process started thanks to inventions developed in China. A variety of items from calendars to religious texts were produced thanks to Chinese woodblock printing.
In woodblock printing, an image is carved in reverse on a piece of wood, leaving the image's outline on the wood, and the block is then inked and printed on a substance like paper or fabric. It's a time-consuming process, especially if you want to add more than one color during the printing process. Let's go back to the beginning and learn about woodblock printing's early history.
Early History
Chinese woodblocks were first used to print designs on silk cloth, beginning around the 4th or 5th century. Then technology found its way to another substance invented in China, paper. By 600 CE, carved woodblocks were being used to print Buddhist religious texts, calendars, and calligraphy, or beautiful written words revered as an art form in China. Almost all early woodblock prints were documents. Only in the later Song Dynasty were woodblocks first used to print images in elaborately decorated books.
Most early prints were one color, usually black against a light background. Then another color, a bright red color called vermillion was added to the process. Color printing with woodblocks is difficult because each color requires a separate carved block. When the image is printed, each block must be printed in the identical position. The Chinese developed careful methods of registration, or ways to lock in the precise positions of each colored block, so they match up correctly when each one was printed on the paper. With this technology perfected, full-color prints were produced.
Later History
With the successful ability to produce full-colored woodblock prints, the art of Chinese woodblock printing reached its peak beginning with the Ming Dynasty. With illustrated books and single-sheet printed images in demand, woodblock printing prospered during the Ming Dynasty. The prints had varied subject matter, including opera images (Chinese opera styles were extremely popular forms of entertainment); people and places; scenes from folklore; and Chinese New Year images, which might include greetings and blessings for the new year. Many printed pictures were distributed during rituals and festivals, and famous paintings were also reproduced in more affordable prints.
By the 19th century, woodblocks fell from popularity when more efficient printing methods found their way to China. But woodblock printing enjoyed a resurgence in the 1920s. Artists and writers again began working with woodblocks, creating bold, colorful prints. Many had messages supporting the social and political shifts in the society. Into the 1960s and beyond, Chinese artists have continued to create dynamic works using this ancient technology, keeping a traditional art alive and vital.
Lesson Summary
Chinese woodblock printing is an ancient art that has been done for thousands of years. Woodblock printing begins with an image carved into a chunk of wood and then rubbed with ink and printed on a substance like cloth of paper. In China, documents like religious texts, calendars, and calligraphy, or beautiful decorative writing, were printed with carved woodblocks beginning around 600 CE. Early prints were usually done in black ink, and later a bright red color called vermilion was added. Eventually, the Chinese perfected the means of making full-colored prints, which required a careful method of registration, which was a way to lock in the precise positions of each colored block to ensure each one printed in the proper identical position.
Chinese woodblock printing reached a peak during the Ming Dynasty with books and single-sheet images. Subjects included Chinese opera scenes, images from folklore, and Chinese New Year images. Woodblocks enjoyed a revival beginning in the 1920s, with artists creating bold, colorful images, sometimes connected to social and political movements.
People have been printing words and images for hundreds of years. The process started thanks to inventions developed in China. A variety of items from calendars to religious texts were produced thanks to Chinese woodblock printing.
In woodblock printing, an image is carved in reverse on a piece of wood, leaving the image's outline on the wood, and the block is then inked and printed on a substance like paper or fabric. It's a time-consuming process, especially if you want to add more than one color during the printing process. Let's go back to the beginning and learn about woodblock printing's early history.
Early History
Chinese woodblocks were first used to print designs on silk cloth, beginning around the 4th or 5th century. Then technology found its way to another substance invented in China, paper. By 600 CE, carved woodblocks were being used to print Buddhist religious texts, calendars, and calligraphy, or beautiful written words revered as an art form in China. Almost all early woodblock prints were documents. Only in the later Song Dynasty were woodblocks first used to print images in elaborately decorated books.
Most early prints were one color, usually black against a light background. Then another color, a bright red color called vermillion was added to the process. Color printing with woodblocks is difficult because each color requires a separate carved block. When the image is printed, each block must be printed in the identical position. The Chinese developed careful methods of registration, or ways to lock in the precise positions of each colored block, so they match up correctly when each one was printed on the paper. With this technology perfected, full-color prints were produced.
Later History
With the successful ability to produce full-colored woodblock prints, the art of Chinese woodblock printing reached its peak beginning with the Ming Dynasty. With illustrated books and single-sheet printed images in demand, woodblock printing prospered during the Ming Dynasty. The prints had varied subject matter, including opera images (Chinese opera styles were extremely popular forms of entertainment); people and places; scenes from folklore; and Chinese New Year images, which might include greetings and blessings for the new year. Many printed pictures were distributed during rituals and festivals, and famous paintings were also reproduced in more affordable prints.
By the 19th century, woodblocks fell from popularity when more efficient printing methods found their way to China. But woodblock printing enjoyed a resurgence in the 1920s. Artists and writers again began working with woodblocks, creating bold, colorful prints. Many had messages supporting the social and political shifts in the society. Into the 1960s and beyond, Chinese artists have continued to create dynamic works using this ancient technology, keeping a traditional art alive and vital.
Lesson Summary
Chinese woodblock printing is an ancient art that has been done for thousands of years. Woodblock printing begins with an image carved into a chunk of wood and then rubbed with ink and printed on a substance like cloth of paper. In China, documents like religious texts, calendars, and calligraphy, or beautiful decorative writing, were printed with carved woodblocks beginning around 600 CE. Early prints were usually done in black ink, and later a bright red color called vermilion was added. Eventually, the Chinese perfected the means of making full-colored prints, which required a careful method of registration, which was a way to lock in the precise positions of each colored block to ensure each one printed in the proper identical position.
Chinese woodblock printing reached a peak during the Ming Dynasty with books and single-sheet images. Subjects included Chinese opera scenes, images from folklore, and Chinese New Year images. Woodblocks enjoyed a revival beginning in the 1920s, with artists creating bold, colorful images, sometimes connected to social and political movements.