Art in the 1930’s

Introduction What is the purpose of art? Why

create art? Entertainment, Expression, Escape Promoted by federal funding with

programs such as the Public Works of Art Project and the Federal Art Project.

Emergence of American Regionalist

Grant Wood raised in a religious

house he describes life

from his perspective; life is tough to live in the Midwest

impressionism and post impressionism.

a great supporter of regionalism in the arts,

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 Edward Hopper realist painter as well as a printmaker paintings contained personal vision of modern American life.  “The Nighthawks”, which was mainly known for its details,

and contained different shapes to give a unique look

Georgia O’Keeffe Beautiful landscapes of American

rather than the chaotic of  picture that were being created.

 capture the essence of the natural beauty of northern New Mexico desert, its vast skies, richly colored landscape configurations and unusual architectural forms

Thomas Hart Benton the best known muralist associated with

the American Scene Painting movement stylized portrayal of pre-industrial

agrarian life and his later emphasis on the plight of the working class in the post-Depression

closely associated with Regionalism captured the character of the collision

between agrarian life and industrialization in 1930s America.

John Steuart Curry begun to continue painting in the

“regionalist” style, depicting and glorifying images of the United States Midwest

depicted representations of families surviving natural disaster in his man versus nature images.

Jackson Pollock During the 1930s he worked in the

manner of the Regionalists, being influenced also by the Mexican muralist painters and by certain aspects of Surrealism

By the mid 1940s he was painting in a completely abstract manner,

Well known for his unique style of drip painting.