The School Room 1945 - 1947

Mario Prassinos created "The School Room" using etching, a printmaking technique that is steeped in the traditions of both fine art and craft. Prassinos created this print by employing methods that are both physical and chemical. First, he would have covered a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance. Then, using a pointed tool, he would have scratched away the coating to reveal the bare metal. When acid is applied, it bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves. The plate is then inked, the surface wiped clean, and the ink remaining in the etched lines is transferred to paper under high pressure. The stark contrast and ghostly quality of the image owe much to this process. But beyond technique, the image pulls us toward primal fears, and uncomfortable truths about learning and power. The amount of labor involved speaks to Prassinos’s commitment to an artistic vision rooted in both concept and execution. He asks us to consider the cultural weight of both the image and the method used to create it.