Linocut

The distinctive feature of modern relief printing is the use of alternative materials other than wood to make the matrix. The most common of these materials is linoleum.

It is a composite material made of a mix of linseed oil, cork dust, Greek pitch spread on a jute support. Linoleum smooth, compact and easy to chisel with gouges. The engraving and printing techniques are not different from xylography and even the engraved marks are similar. Linoleum is much easier to use than wood because it is pasty and free from imperfections, but for these same reasons it is also colder.
Kandinsky and some impressionist artists have made use of linocut; its ease of processing was much appreciated by Matisse, while Picasso refined the technique between 1958 and 1964