Sabijnse maagdenroof 1584

Andrea Andreani made this print, ‘The Rape of the Sabine Women’, around 1600, using a process called chiaroscuro woodcut. This involved carving multiple blocks –one for the linework, and others for areas of tone. Look closely, and you’ll see how the overlaid tones create depth, very different from the clean lines of an engraving. The result imitates drawings in pen and wash. Andreani was a real virtuoso of this technique, capable of highly complex effects. Woodcut was in decline at this time, losing ground to engraving, which could capture more detail. But this wasn’t necessarily progress. Woodcut is much more direct – you can feel the artist grappling with the material, whereas engraving can seem detached, almost mechanical. Ironically, this directness has made woodcut appealing to modern and contemporary artists. In this work, Andrea Andreani reminds us of woodcut's inherent qualities and beauty. He elevates the status of printmaking, and challenges the hierarchy of the arts.