Woodcut and wood engraving are among the oldest printmaking techniques still practiced, built on the simple principle of cutting away what should stay white and inking what remains. The results have a directness that no other medium quite replicates: bold lines, strong contrast, and a texture that records the grain and resistance of the block itself. Period works in this tradition range from medieval book illustration through 20th-century artist prints, with the craft periodically revived by artists who valued its honesty over smoother commercial methods.