Art of the New Deal

The Great Depression was an economic disaster, with only half of abled bodies with jobs by 1933. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created a program, called the “New Deal” in which it helped put Americans back to work. This program incorporated Federally-funded public art pieces into public works projects. Which started a new style of artistry that focused on major events occurring during that time and even of the common citizen found struggling during such hardships. From this era I’ve chosen works from William S. Schwartz, Ray Strong, and Millard Sheets. Each artist showcases different subjects as well as different styles, but each one brings a reminder of what it was like back in the 1930s.

The Miner – William S. Schwartz

This piece is a lithograph done on paper and was in production from 1935 to 1942. It’s believed to be produced in Chicago, Illinois since Schwartz spent his career in the major city. This is one of many art pieces that was published by the Works Progress Administration through the “New Deal.” The size of this piece is 30.5 by 22.9 cm. This type of art is a planographic printmaking process where a design is drawn onto a flat stone or a metal plate and then printed onto something through a chemical reaction.

For this piece, the lithograph shows off a black color in which the chemical reaction creates, giving us a black and white artwork for this example. I love how unique and almost modern the style is. Although it has a lot of abstract shapes in the back, you can clearly see that the subject in the forefront is that of a miner. The entire piece has a very interesting texture where it gives off a grainy look. This may be caused by the chemical reaction involved. The lines used are definitely harsher and defined, with minimal blending shown.

The miner’s face is the lightest area of this piece and helps promote the subject as the main focal point. I believe the author was trying to promote the idea of hard work and even hard times with how dark the setting is within the lithograph. It’s about the size of a tabloid print in today’s standard, and I believe it’s a perfect size to be displayed in a home. It actually would fit perfectly in our dining room that’s been transformed into a speakeasy-like board game room. The style fits in with the color palette that we have in there and it would match perfectly.

Golden Gate Bridge – Ray Strong

Ray Strong focused on the marvelous engineering of the Golden Gate Bridge being built in San Francisco, California. It was painted in 1934, four years prior to its completion so you will you see the bridge in a in-progress state. This artwork is an oil on canvas painting with dimensions of 112 by 182.3 cm. This piece was commissioned by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service as a part of the New Deal Program. This painting is a beautiful piece that reminds me of the words of innovation and determination. It was a huge feat to design and build this bridge and Ray Strong did a great job in helping promote this idea. It is said that this piece was displayed in the White House at one time to show off American engineering.

The painting shows a much more sunny environment showing off the contrasting landscape against the blue waters and even lighter blue sky. The red of the boat, started construction of the bridge, and the building show a nice balance in a triangle formation of the colors to help harmonize the setting. Even the 2 tan pillars and the 2 tan buildings at the bottom of the painting help to balance the painting with their symmetry in the near-center location. The lines of the painting show a variety of defined lines of the subject matter of the buildings as well as shows how blended they can be for showing the different depths and water color of the bay. Darker hues seem to form a frame at the bottom of the panting with the shadow of the land, as well as the darker shades of blue for the upper portion of the sky depicted. It’s a beautiful place ad makes me feel as the painter was sitting in some wonderful sunshine as they viewed this scene. Although I love this painting, I don’t believe it would be suitable in my home. I can see this being perfect in a museum or tourist location in San Francisco to help others view what it was like during it’s construction. The subject matter is definitely best for historical purposes in my opinion and not so much for the artistic value even though the artist did a wonderful job in their depiction.

Tenement Flats – Millard Sheets

This artwork is also a piece commissioned by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service during the Great Depression. It was done between 1933 and 1934 and is 102.1 by 127.6 cm in dimension. It’s an oil on canvas painting with wonderful colors showcased. The scene within this painting shows the home of poor families that lived in the Bunker Hill neighborhood during the Great Depression. The painting is thought to be completed while the artist was in this area of downtown Los Angeles since they enjoyed the colorful scenery of this area. Just like the Golden Gate Bridge, this piece was also displayed within the White House.

The painting has quite the variety of colors, especially in the green of the lower building and the pinkish purple railings. The laundry hanging out to dry adds a bit of contrast with one line showing linens in yellow and red, while many lines of clothing that are further back in the scene are mainly of a lighter color if not white. Even though it shows the busy home of poor families, there seems to be a serene feeling of peace here or maybe harmony? Everyone seems to be either in conversation or relaxing, or on their way to their apartment, but it doesn’t seem rushed or filled with any stress. You can see the old Victorian-styled mansions higher up on the hill behind it, but one of them that is colored in black and white seems to give off signs of depression or of being abandoned. The perspective of the painting is clearly from the ground where the viewer gets to admire the straight lines of the piece coming from the building as well as the wood stairs and railings. There’s a sort of harmony in how the artist has one building towering over the much shorter one. The railings also help to blend it all together with the two sets of stairs coming from the first building and just one coming from the other. I don’t think I would display this piece in my home, but I still love the subject matter. It shows what life was like for some during hard times that affected most of the country, but even so the scenery seems to shine with the wonderful colors and people inside this painting.

References:

“The Great Depression and the New Deal.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/seattle/exhibit/picturing-the-century/great-depression.html#:~:text=President%20Franklin%20D.,works%20program%20for%20the%20unemployed, Accessed November 7, 2022.

“The Miner.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/miner-22011, Accessed November 7, 2022.

“Golden Gate Bridge.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/golden-gate-bridge-23442, Accessed November 7, 2022.

“Tenement Flats.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/tenement-flats-22262, Accessed November 7, 2022.