Smoke n' Gin

Hugh Mesibov co-invented the carborundum printmaking technique with Dox Thrash and Roswell Weidner. Although the three jointly discovered the potential of carborundum, Mesibov claimed that his self-portrait 'Mystic' (1937) was the first finished carborundum print. He also took sole credit for inventing the carborundum mezzotint and color carborundum print, which is seen here. By experimenting with carborundum in an array of printmaking processes, Mesibov was able to produce prints that achieved the one-of-a-kind quality of paintings. Smoke n’ Gin demonstrates the varied effects carborundum allowed Mesibov to attain. The coarseness of the material enabled him to attain a rough texture, as well as quivering lines of varying thicknesses, that are expressive not only of the age and exhaustion of the figure but also of the grubby atmosphere of the neighborhood bar.