White-Line Woodblock Prints from the Collection

In conjunction with Blanche Lazzell: Becoming an American Modernist, this exhibition looks at white-line woodblock prints from the PAAM collection.

The process of printmaking is centuries old and takes on many forms–etching, engraving, lithography–but it was in Provincetown’s post-WWI artist-boom that the practice of the white-line woodblock print was developed.

White-line woodcuts are made by carving a design into a single wood block, then hand-printing each color area separately with watercolor or gouache. This technique expanded upon traditional woodblock printing, which uses multiple blocks for each color. White-line woodblock prints are unique due to their combination of painting and printmaking techniques, resulting in multi-color prints from a single carved block.  These prints are often characterized by their vibrant colors, expressive lines, and unique variations due to the hand-applied nature of the process.

The origin of this technique is attributed to a group of artists known as the Provincetown Printers, the ranks of which included Ada Gilmore Chaffee, Maud Hunt Squire, Ethel Mars, Mildred McMillen, Juliette Nichols, and B. J. O. Nordfeldt, although some records suggest that the lesser-known artist and subject of the HBO documentary Packed in a Trunk, Edith Lake Wilkinson pioneered the technique prior to the formation of the group. Lazzell in particular became known for teaching the technique and was a leading figure in its proliferation.

With its distinctive visual qualities and highly tactile process, white-line woodblock printmaking remains a popular technique for artists. See white-line woodblock printmaking classes with local teaching artists here.

THE PAAM COLLECTION

The permanent collection is an important measure of any museum’s value. At PAAM, the holdings of local and regional art is extensive and dynamic, comprising more than 5,000 works by over 900 artists who have worked in Provincetown and on Cape Cod. Each year, PAAM presents at least two exhibitions showcasing some of the recent gifts donated to our permanent collection. As an actively collecting museum, PAAM receives on average nearly 100 new works each year, and these exhibitions allow us to proudly display a selection of those works, some of which represent our first works by an artist in our permanent collection. We extend our deepest gratitude to our new and continuing donors.

PAAM also holds an extensive archive of materials referencing the artists whose work is represented in the collection, as well as ephemera associated with the continual activities of the Museum and Association. We provide these resources on request to scholars and historians.

Image: Lazlo de Nagy, Monday (detail), Gift of the The Napi and Helen Van Dereck Estate