I am particularly pleased to highlight Pablo Picasso’s linocut, “Still Life with Bottle | Nature morte à la Bouteille”, 1962. My own passion for prints began with the linocuts of Picasso; it was my first introduction to printmaking, and I was fortunate enough to catalogue the entire archive of Picasso’s linocut printer, Hidalgo Arnéra. This is a wonderful example of the reductionist technique which enamoured Picasso to the medium of lino cutting.

The same manner with which Picasso took to lino cutting, with such gusto, reminds me of the German American artist Lyonel Feininger – who upon beginning his exploration of woodcuts managed to execute the majority in the first three years. “Steamboat Odin | Dampfer Odin, 1918”, is an excellent example of an early woodcut by the artist, whereby we are already able to recognise his definitive style.

I’ve long been fascinated with German Expressionism, and how printmaking is intrinsically linked with this art movement. Of course, we think first of woodcuts, but the way in which Otto Mueller embraced lithography really set the artist apart amongst the German Expressionists. I find, “Two Girls - Half Nudes | Zwei Mädchen - Halbakte, 1920”, to be a particularly beautiful example of Mueller’s skill with lithography. The work is atmospheric, and the use of tonality is quite an achievement in this medium.

Passion for specific medium is a great way to see, in a short period, an artist’s creative ability to find their own voice in a single printed medium. It gives us a wonderful insight and helps us to understand them a little better, not only in the context of their graphic work but wider oeuvre. It is the perfect starting point to explore printmaking and what it meant to each artist.