Dox Thrash Research Paper

This exhibition proposal will focus on Dox Thrash, an African American artist whom heavily focused in the field of printmaking in his art career. This will be targeting audiences who are experienced and novice printmakers, art historians, those wanting to learn more about the carborundum printmaking process and its history and people who are wanting to learn about African American artists. Throughout this, the audience will learn of how Dox Thrash came upon his legendary printmaking method, the importance of his work with his generation of the time, his involvement with the federal Art Project (1936-1939). As we talk more about his contributions to the field, we will see later of how he helped teach young African American artists in his later years of his life. In this presentation we will see 10 of his prints showing his carborundum printmaking process along with a tutorial video/pictures to allow us to see how it worked out.

Born in Georgia on March 22, 1893, (later passing in 1965) Dox Thrash left home as part of the Great Migration to the North, looking for industrial work. Going to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago at night, Dox Thrash joined the army to fight in WW1, being placed in the 365th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division and the 183rd Brigade. Eventually Dox Thrash settled down in Philadelphia in 1925 where he did

Another important feature that differs it from the traditional mezzotint is this creates ink dots rather than an empty area of paper with ink surrounding it. No other printmaking method today can actually create these effects (however an aquatint is the nearest technique that can provide a grainy tonal texture but still holds no competition compared to the carborundum mezzotint