WOODCUTS
"For me, having all the materials at hand so that I can cut a wood block and print it with a spoon at any time I wish, has been very cozy. The nice thing about a woodcut also is that it requires a distillation of the essence of an idea. I have to resolve it all into an image and put it all down 'in black and white'." -JB
Berger created his first woodcut in 1949. He chose this technique to "express ideas very clearly and in a simple, graphic way". It enabled him to personally engage in the step-by-step procedure of making woodcuts, beginning with the selection of materials and tools, and ending with the carving techniques, proofing and printing. According to Berger, "by using this simple method of printing, the printmaker could create without being too involved with complex techniques that in many cases become more important than the idea".
In all of Berger's paintings and prints, the forms, lines, and intervening spaces are derived from nature which, for Berger, has always been a central theme. in his drawings he has paid special attention to creating a rich uneven line, and he has duplicated this line in his prints.
- Moshe Alon, May 1990
