LINOCUT

also called Linoleum Cut, type of print made from a sheet of linoleum into which a design has been cut in relief. This process of printmaking is similar to woodcut (q.v.), but since linoleum is easier to work than wood, linocuts yield a greater variety of effects than do woodcuts. Linocut designs can be cut in large masses, engraved to give supple white lines, or worked in numerous ways to achieve many different textures. The ease with which linoleum is worked makes it admirably suited to large decorative prints, using broad areas of flat colour. The linocut process, introduced in the beginning of the 20th century, was long despised by many artists as not sufficiently demanding of technical skill. After Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse used the technique to advantage in the 1950s, however, many other artists adopted it.