In 1828, Thomas Bewick, the leading practitioner of woodcut printing died. With his death this method of printmaking fell into obscurity, whilst illustrators and other draftsmen increasingly favoured traditional etching. It would be over fifty years before wood cut printing was revived, re-emerging as the dominant style of printmaking within the German expressionist movement. Being both adaptable and inexpensive in its production, it suited the burgeoning groups of artists of the early twentieth century. By the 1910s the woodcutting revival had found its way to Britain, where it became firmly cementing itself in the Avante-garde. The work was progressive and ambitious with woodcutting evolving into one of the most influential British movements of the early twentieth century.

This online exhibition looks at several British artists who employed the woodcut and wood engraving in the better part of the 20th Century, both those who led the way and those who followed in their footsteps.