Explain how woodblock printing is done. where, and when, did it originate?

Woodcutting means “art of wood engraving. Printing technique in which the design is carved with a gouge, chisel, knife or burin on a wooden plate ”.

The probable origins of woodcut refer to the oriental culture. According to historians, the woodcut was created by the Chinese and had been practiced by this people since the 6th century. During the Middle Ages, the woodcut was established in the West, gaining innovations during the 18th century. to European nations, where they influenced 19th century arts and helped Thomas Bewick create the technique of top engraving, lowering the industrial production costs of picture books and starting large-scale production of pictorial images.

Woodcut can be described as a kind of stamp. In its process, an engraving is carved into the wood with the aid of a sharp object, and then an ink-soaked rubber roller is used, which penetrates only the parts where the engraving (notch) is. Then the part of the picture is placed in contact with the surface to be illustrated. After a few minutes, the wood is removed, leaving the image impregnated in place. This technique is also called embossing and can be made from linoleum (linoleogravure) or any flat surface.

based on the images pictured above, the major difference between the two cathedrals: the cathedral of notre dame and the amiens cathedral, is that the cathedral of notre dame emphasizes the horizontal lines while the amiens cathedral emphasizes the vertical lines.