What a Relief!

Block Prints from the RMAC

Exhibition Website

Feb 12 2016 - May 15 2016

What a Relief! explores the diverse world of block printing through a selection of works from the RMAC collection.

Visitors will learn about different types of relief printing, including woodcuts, wood engravings, and linocuts, while enjoying a diverse array of visual styles and subjects, from the colorful woodblocks of Gustave Baumann to the surrealist imagery of Roderick Mead.


For anyone who is deeply commited to understanding Baumann's process: Conceived to complement Gustave Baumann: Nearer to Art, which focuses on the artist's life and development as a printmaker, Hand of a Craftsman: The Woodcut Technique of Gustave Baumann reveals the technique of a man who is among the most influential and beloved printmakers of the 20th century. Being fastidious and infinitely patient, Baumann saved many of his preliminary drawings and progressive proofs, leaving behind a fascinating and intricate story of his creative process.The book features the heretofore unpublished notes and progressives the artist compiled in the making of his extraordinary woodcut Grand Caon and includes many prints never before reproduced and rarely exhibited. Baumann's work is awash in brilliant, hand-ground pigments and reveals a style that is wholly self-reliant and free. The intriguing technique used by this meticulous master, complex but enthralling, only enhances one's appreciation for this unique color woodcut medium.

  • Works on Paper

Exhibition Venues & Dates