Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
One of the most renowned African American printmakers of the twentieth century, Dox Thrash was instrumental in the development of the carborundum printmaking process. After signing on with the Federal Art Project in 1937, Thrash and his colleagues created this efficient technique, which resulted in more durable plate surfaces but required less time and effort to produce than traditional methods. Though appreciated as an economical advance in printmaking, the technique was never widely used. Thrash’s use of the carborundum technique here enhances the work’s chiaroscuro complexities. He intentionally obscures the faces of his figures and other details, as if channeling a foggy memory of his youth in rural Georgia.
Visit the High Museum: high.org
One of the most renowned African American printmakers of the twentieth century, Dox Thrash was instrumental in the development of the carborundum printmaking process. After signing on with the Federal Art Project in 1937, Thrash and his colleagues created this efficient technique, which resulted in more durable plate surfaces but required less time and effort to produce than traditional methods. Though appreciated as an economical advance in printmaking, the technique was never widely used. Thrash’s use of the carborundum technique here enhances the work’s chiaroscuro complexities. He intentionally obscures the faces of his figures and other details, as if channeling a foggy memory of his youth in rural Georgia.
Visit the High Museum: high.org
