The fascinating art of wood engraving is still going strong around the world and will soon be in Oxford, as SARAH MAYHEW discovers

One’s mind might not necessarily jump to the notion of cutting edge art when considering the work of wood engravers or a society that was founded in 1920. However, if that’s the case for you, then it’s time to tackle those preconceived ideas and head to King Street’s Art Jericho gallery between October 12 and 19, to see The Society of Wood Engravers’ surprisingly cutting-edge 76th annual exhibition.

The society’s role is of international importance as it is devoted to sustaining this unique artform. It is made up of a support group of subscribers and about 70 members of practicing artists who have been elected or invited to membership on merit; and this exhibition, Cutting Edge, presents new wood engraving and relief block original prints by master engravers from the UK, Europe, Japan and elsewhere. Founded by a group of artists, that included Philip Hagreen, Robert Gibbings, Lucien Pissaro, Gwen Raverat and Eric Gill, who held an annual exhibition that attracted work from other notable artists such as David Jones, John Nash and Paul Nash, Paul Gauguin and Clare Leighton, the group thrived until war broke out. War disrupted the demand for their work, and cut the supply of materials. Eventually there was a return to the annual exhibition, but the group and the cultural context had changed and caused this ancient artform to constantly evolve, an evolution that, while remaining true to the society’s core values, has earned it an international reputation for excellence. The annual exhibition, stringently selected from an open submission, visits about eight venues annually, showing the best of current work from Britain and other countries, of which Art Jericho will be one this September. Patricia Baker-Cassidy, the director of Art Jericho, said: “The subjects are varied; the skill is of the highest. These artists use a traditional craft to depict the world around, to create effects of lyricism, of satire, of humour, of affection for our shared world.”

Wood engraving is at once the simplest and one of the most exquisite forms of printmaking. It is often intricately detailed and relatively small in scale due to the finely pointed tools used in the engraving process. Prints are created by engraving the reversed design or picture to be printed into the mirror-smooth surface of a block of endgrain wood. Box wood is preferred, though in the spirit of evolving artforms, other woods and synthetic materials are now commonly used. Blocks are then rolled up with ink and printed on to paper. The cuts that were made into the wood, therefore, come out as negative, the remaining top surface which gets inked, as positive.

Visit the gallery on Saturday, October 5, to meet wood engraver Peter Lawrence who promises to provide a highly entertaining wood engraving demonstration, allowing visitors to see the tools of this intricate and demanding craft, and learn about the history and importance of the medium.

The Society of Wood Engravers’ exhibition is at Art Jericho, 6 King Street, Oxford, from October 12 to 19 See artjericho.com for details