Mr. X

c. 1937–38

Mr. X, c. 1937–38. Dox Thrash (American, 1892–1965). Carborundum print; platemark: 16.6 x 13.2 cm (6 9/16 x 5 3/16 in.); sheet: 24 x 21.9 cm (9 7/16 x 8 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1996.277 The first African American artist to work at Philadelphia's Fine Print Workshop, Dox Thrash is known for inventing carborundum printmaking, the technique used here. A coarsely grained industrial product was burnished to create grays and highlights alongside rich, dark tones. This print, a self-portrait, was the first that Thrash made using his new and experimental technique. The artist looks slightly upward, boldly and directly, from within a stark field of black. Dox Thrash used this print to debut his new carborundum printmaking technique to the public in a 1938 exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.