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Two hundred years ago in Lithuania
woodcut was used as reproduction method for religion pictures.
In the beginning of the twenty-century, professional artists
found woodcut as modern graphic technique. Lithuanian artists
tended in expressionism, cubism and early abstract movement.
During the soviet time, woodcut becomes specifically character.
It showed the workers and political heroes in socialist realistic
style. Other artists create political-propaganda woodcuts
in primitive or expressionism style. And on my opinion it
is very interesting works, because from one side they collaborated
with politic system, but from another side they work like
"Lithuanian folk woodcut". And this movement of "folk art"
was very important during soviet time in all Lithuanian culture:
music, dancing, fine art. But if we look on it more seriously,
we see that it is not from Lithuanian folk art, it is soviet
folk art, and it has nothing with Lithuanian folk art.
After 1990, when Lithuania become free, woodcut returned to
expressionism, post modern style. The artists found again
primitivism. Graphic works become very big or three dimensions,
woodcuts was used in performance.
Why it's interesting for as woodcut? Maybe because it developed
in Lithuania more energy then other graphic techniques. It
was more influenced from Europe art, and in history of woodcut
of Lithuanian printmakers we could see the movement of art.
Lithography or etching was (and are) more conservatives' techniques
for Lithuanian artists. They are interested not in developing
of shape/form, but in theme.
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