Girls lower tobacco 

Mana Parpulova created this piece, titled "Girls lower tobacco," as a linocut, a printmaking technique using linoleum. This material, often used for flooring, is carved to create a design, inked, and then printed onto paper. The stark black and white contrast, achieved through the carving process, emphasizes the texture of the women’s clothing and the tobacco leaves they handle. This choice of material and method is significant; linocut, while capable of producing fine art prints, has strong ties to industrial production and accessibility. The labor-intensive process of carving each print connects us to the labor depicted. Parpulova highlights the repetitive, manual work of these women in the tobacco industry. By choosing linocut, she draws a parallel between artistic creation and the labor-intensive work of these women, subtly commenting on the social and economic realities of their lives. Ultimately, Parpulova’s choice of material elevates a traditionally ‘low’ material to a form of high art, inviting us to consider the value of labor and the stories embedded within the materials themselves.