Lines & Lineage

The three artists in this exhibition span a century of wood engraving. Centred around the archive of Sarah van Niekerk (1934-2018), one of the most influential and well-respected masters of the medium for over 50 years, the show also features works by Gertrude Hermes (1901-1983) one of her teachers. Bringing the exhibition into present day, contemporary prints by Rebecca Coleman feature urban scenes and natural forms.

Wood engraving is one of the most detailed forms of print-making, requiring enormous skill and patience from the artists. Usually using only one colour – black – to create the image, the density and depth of the engraved lines are the artist’s only means of expression. Using tools with wonderful names like spitsticker and scorper, the engraver carves on the hard end-wood, against the grain, to produce precise, graded images. Initially wood engraving was used mainly for book illustration, but artists such as Gertrude Hermes broadened its use to become a more purely decorative art form.