The Welder

Dox Thrash American
ca. 1936–41
Not on view
Thrash was a prolific and innovative printmaker during the 1930s and 1940s, when he worked for the WPA’s highly respected Fine Print Workshop of Philadelphia. There he developed a new intaglio process whereby the surface of a metal plate was roughened with Carborundum, a gritty abrasive that allowed for a maximum amount of ink on the plate and rich, velvety black areas in the resulting print. Thrash used this technique to expressive ends in The Welder, where the worker, enveloped in darkness, is dramatically lit by the flying sparks of his welding torch.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Welder
  • Artist: Dox Thrash (American, Griffin, Georgia 1893–1965 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • Date: ca. 1936–41
  • Medium: Carborundum mezzotint
  • Dimensions: 9 7/8 × 5 7/8 in. (25.1 × 15 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Reba and Dave Williams, 1999
  • Object Number: 1999.529.167
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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