Portret van Johann Schneidewein 1568 - 1587

This portrait of Johann Schneidewein was made in 1568 by an anonymous artist as a woodcut on laid paper. Look closely, and you’ll notice the intricate detail achieved with this method. Woodcut is a relief printing process, and the key to understanding it lies in its name: the artist carves away at a block of wood, leaving only the desired image standing in relief. Ink is then applied to this raised surface, and the image is transferred to paper under pressure. The lines are bold, graphic, and speak to the time and labor involved in their making. This print would have been one of many. The social context of this artwork is tied to the spread of knowledge and the rise of the printing press, which enabled the wider dissemination of images and ideas. Woodcuts, due to their relative ease of production, played a crucial role in this process, bringing art and information to a broader audience. So, next time you encounter a print, remember the hands that shaped the wood and the social forces that propelled its creation.