Pablo Picasso is an artist that is famous for his paintings, sculpture and prints.

Born: October 25, 1881, Málaga, Spain

Died: April 8, 1973, Mougins, France

Picasso's linocuts were made by gouging out a sheet of linoleum which had been fused onto a harder block of wood.

Using gouges, he would cut out the areas of his intended image that were to be absent of color (and therefore appear the color of the paper when printed).

The relief areas that remain would be inked, usually with a brayer. 

Paper would be put on the inked linoleum block and pressure applied, after which the inked image is transferred to the paper.

If there were to be multiple colors, Picasso would create a separate linoleum block, each corresponding to a different color, each printed in succession.

This is how he worked since his first linocuts were created in 1958.

Picasso’s work is interesting and very detailed, the disfigured faces and his great choice of colors makes it stand out of the crowd and look very sharp and edgy.

Paul Catherall is a London-based printmaker and illustrator, renowned for his clean, sharp linocuts of architectural landmarks as well as his illustrations for high profile clients.

Drawing influence from classic mid-20th century poster designers, such as Tom Eckersley and Edward Wadsworth, and inspired by the semi-abstract landscapes from Cezanne, Catherall combines an expert eye for composition and colour with consummate draughtmanship to create striking and iconic images.
The subjects of his prints include controversial London buildings (Elephant and Castle shopping centre) and celebrated landmarks (such as Battersea Power Station, Tate Modern and New York's Flatiron).

Each limited edition is created using high quality oil-based inks and acid-free paper, and produced entirely by hand, from the intial design and sketches through to carving, inking and editioning.

Artist: Banksy (British, b. ca. 1974)

Title: Love is in the Air (Flower Thrower), 2002

Medium: Paintings, Stencil, spraypaint on raw canvas

Size: 36 x 36 in. (91.4 x 91.4 cm.)

Movement: Contemporary

Banksy is a pseudonymous English graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. Although his identity has not been proven, reliable sources report that he is believed to be Robin Gunningham, a former public schoolboy at Bristol Cathedral Choir School.

His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stencilling technique. His works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.

Banksy's work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Observers have noted that his style is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris. Banksy says that he was inspired by "3D", a graffiti artist who later became a founding member of Massive Attack.

Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self-built physical prop pieces.

I really enjoy Banksys artwork because it sends a very strong message about society and the government.

Banksys work is so interesting, the fact that he combines things together that do not belong together and creates something different, for us to question and see how artists see things in their perspective.

The colours in this piece 'Love is in the air' are quite simple, but very sharp.

Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints that have an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of a same piece, which is called a print. Each print produced is not considered a "copy" but rather is considered an "original". This is because typically each print varies to an extent due to variables intrinsic to the printmaking process, and also because the imagery of a print is typically not simply a reproduction of another work but rather is often a unique image designed from the start to be expressed in a particular printmaking technique.

Woodcut

Woodcut, a type of relief print, is the earliest printmaking technique, and the only one traditionally used in the Far East. It was probably first developed as a means of printing patterns on cloth, and by the 5th century was used in China for printing text and images on paper. Woodcuts of images on paper developed around 1400 in Europe, and slightly later in Japan. These are the two areas where woodcut has been most extensively used purely as a process for making images without text.

Engraving

The process was developed in Germany in the 1430s from the engraving used by goldsmiths to decorate metalwork. Engravers use a hardened steel tool called a burin to cut the design into the surface of a metal plate, traditionally made of copper. Engraving using a burin is generally a difficult skill to learn.

To make a print, the engraved plate is inked all over, then the ink is wiped off the surface, leaving only ink in the engraved lines. The plate is then put through a high-pressure printing press together with a sheet of paper (often moistened to soften it). The paper picks up the ink from the engraved lines, making a print. The process can be repeated many times; typically several hundred impressions (copies) could be printed before the printing plate shows much sign of wear, except when drypoint, which gives much shallower lines, is used.

Etching

The process is believed to have been invented by Daniel Hopfer (circa 1470-1536) of Augsburg, Germany, who decorated armor in this way, and applied the method to printmaking. Its great advantage was that, unlike engraving which requires special skill in metalworking, etching is relatively easy to learn for an artist trained in drawing.

Etching prints are generally linear and often contain fine detail and contours. Lines can vary from smooth to sketchy. An etching is opposite of a woodcut in that the raised portions of an etching remain blank while the crevices hold ink. In pure etching, a metal (usually copper, zinc or steel) plate is covered with a waxy or acrylic ground. The artist then draws through the ground with a pointed etching needle. The exposed metal lines are then etched by dipping the plate in a bath of etchant (e.g. nitric acid or ferric chloride). The etchant "bites" into the exposed metal, leaving behind lines in the plate. The remaining ground is then cleaned off the plate, and the printing process is then just the same as for engraving.

Monotyping is a type of printmaking made by drawing or painting on a smooth, non-absorbent surface. The surface, or matrix, was historically a copper etching plate, but in contemporary work it can vary from zinc or glass to acrylic glass. The image is then transferred onto a sheet of paper by pressing the two together, usually using a printing-press. Monotypes can also be created by inking an entire surface and then, using brushes or rags, removing ink to create a subtractive image, e.g. creating lights from a field of opaque colour. The inks used may be oil based or water based. With oil based inks, the paper may be dry, in which case the image has more contrast, or the paper may be damp, in which case the image has a 10 percent greater range of tones.

Although subsequent reprintings are sometimes possible, they differ greatly from the first print and are generally considered inferior. A second print from the original plate is called a "ghost print" or "cognate". Stencils, watercolor, solvents, brushes, and other tools are often used to embellish a monotype print. Monotypes are often spontaneously executed and with no preliminary sketch.

Max Ernst 1891-1976

German-born painter, sculptor and printmaker; one of the leading Surrealists.

Born at Brühl, near Cologne.

Began to study philosophy at the University of Bonn in 1909, but became increasingly preoccupied with painting; self-taught, but influenced by van Gogh and Macke.

Artillery officer in the First World War. The paintings of de Chirico helped to stimulate his interest in dream-like fantastic imagery, and he founded the Cologne Dada group with Baargeld and Arp 1919-21. Made collages and, later, paintings with irrational combinations of imagery. First one-man exhibition at the Galerie Au sans Pareil, Paris, 1921. In 1922 moved to Paris, where his friendship with Breton and Eluard led to active participation in the Surrealist movement. His discovery of the technique of frottage (rubbing) in 1925 provided him with a means of evoking hallucinatory visions. Collage novels and illustrations, including La Femme 100 Têtes 1929 and Une Semaine de Bonté 1934. Made his first sculpture in 1934. Went to the USA as a refugee in 1941, living first in or near New York, then in Sedona, Arizona; from 1950 again lived mainly in France. Awarded the main painting prize at the 1954 Venice Biennale. Died in Paris.

L'ange du Foyeur

African Sonata

Vladimir Kush was born in Russia, in a one-story wooden house near the Moscow forest-park Sokolniki.

At the age of seven Vladimir began to attend art school until late evening where he became acquainted with the works of great artists of the Renaissance, famous Impressionists, and Modern Artists.

Vladimir entered the Moscow Higher Art and Craft School at age 17, but a year later he was conscripted. After six months of military training the unit commander thought it more appropriate to employ him exclusively for peaceful purposes, namely, painting propagandistic posters.

After military service and graduating the Institute of Fine Arts, Vladimir painted portraits on Arbat Street to support his family during the hard times in Russia.

In the year 1987, Vladimir began to take part in exhibitions organized by the Union of Artists. At a show in Coburg, Germany in 1990, nearly all his displayed paintings sold and after closing the exhibition, he flew to Los Angeles where 20 of his works were exhibited and began his “American Odyssey.”

In Los Angeles, Kush worked in a small, rented home garage, but was unable to find a place to display his paintings. He earned money by drawing portraits on the Santa Monica pier and eventually was able to purchase a ticket to his “Promised Land,” Hawaii.

In 1993, a dealer from France noticed the originality of Kush’s work and organized an exhibition in Hong Kong. Success surpassed all expectations. In 1995, a new exhibition in Hong Kong at the Mandarin Fine Art Gallery brought more success. In 1997 he had a new start in the USA exhibiting in the galleries in Lahaina, Hawaii and in Seattle. In 2001 Kush opened his first gallery, Kush Fine Art in Lahaina, Hawaii. He now has 4 gallery locations in the USA with future plans to open more galleries around the world.

Man Ray 1890-1976

American painter, maker of Surrealist objects and photographer. Born in Philadelphia. Worked in an advertising office and then part-time as draughtsman for publishers of books on engineering, atlases and maps.

Attended life-drawing classes at the Ferrer Center, New York, under George Bellows in 1912. After seeing the Armory Show in 1913, began to paint in a Cubist style.

Met Duchamp in 1915 and collaborated with him in initiating a proto-Dada movement in New York. First one-man exhibition at the Daniel Gallery, New York, 1915.

Began to make abstract paintings in 1916, with flat forms and vivid colours, and also experimented with airbrush paintings and sculpture-objects.

Moved to Paris in 1921 and was introduced by Duchamp to Breton and his circle.

Participated in the Dada and Surrealist movements with paintings, assemblage-objects and photographs.

Mainly active for some years as portrait and fashion photographer, and as pioneer of new photographic techniques such as rayographs and solarizations.

Painted regularly again from the mid 1930s, at first in an illusionistic style inspired by de Chirico and Magritte.

Spent 1940-51 in the USA, living in Hollywood, then in 1951 returned to Paris. Died in Paris.

La Fortune,Oil on canvas, 24 × 29 in. (61 × 73.7 cm)