BELLWORK• Read “The Great Depression and the Arts” pgs. 203-205 and

answer the following questions:1. Why did the Roosevelts support the arts?2. What was a focus of the CWA? (note: The Civil Works

Administration was created by Roosevelt to increase employment in civil works projects; PWA)

3. Explain the roles of the PWAP and TRAP during the Great Depression.

4. What was FPNO and how did they contribute to the arts?5. Why did the FSA hire photographers?6. What were the two themes of art during the 1930s?7. THINKER: In your opinion, why was art such an important part

of the 1930’s?

The Great Depression and the Arts

Roosevelts and the Arts

• Upon election, FDR promised to uplift the American people

Public Works of Art Project• Program to

employ artists as part of the New Deal

• Funded by CWA (Civil Works Administration)

• Dec1933 – June1934

Roosevelt’s Involvement• Influenced by the nationalist cultural program

Alvaro Obregon put in place as president of Mexico (1920-24), employing artists on plumbers salaries.

• Promoted public opinion on political buildings• In his inaugural address he promised to uplift

the American spirit.

Inspired by Mexican murals

Roosevelt’s Involvement• Government funding created an art identity

unlike any of the past. It was not controlled by the art market.

• PWAP success (1933-1934):– sponsored 10,000 artists– Created over 340,000 works of art – let to the WPA/FAP programs (1935-1943)

San Francisco’s Coit Tower

Detroit Institute of the Arts; Mural depicts Detroit industries

Astronomers Monument in Griffith’s Observatory; Los Angeles

Department of Justice Building;

D.C.

Treasury Relief Art Program

Federal Project Number One• Also part of the WPA• Included:• Federal Writers Project• Historical Records Survey• Federal Theatre Project• Federal Music Project• Federal Art Project

New Deal Photography• Roy Stryker – director of the

Historical Section photographic projects of the Farm Security Administration.

• Farm Security Administration (FSA) –created to improved the conditions of sharecroppers, tenants, and poor landowning farmers.

New Deal Photography• Stryker’s goal was to increase

public awareness of the FSA.• While many PWA works were

upbeat in their content, FSA photographers were intended to capture difficult situations.

• Stryker had strong connections in the media, allowing him to promote stories in newspapers, magazines, and often art galleries and museums.

Dorothea Lange• First began photography in

New York, then moved to begin a portrait studio in San Francisco in 1919.

• Collaborated with her husband, an economics professor, on projects that addressed poverty in rural California, focusing on the conditions of migrant workers and sharecroppers

• Hired by the FSA

Migrant Mother

• FSA shoot; March 1936• An iconic photograph of the

Great Depression• Contrast between light and

dark is subtle, allowing the artist to capture details, such as the textures of clothing.

• Lange focused on the mother’s facial expression while other FSA photographers focused on the farm.

Walker Evans• Evans first began taking pictures

as a hobby in Paris in 1926.• He returned to the US in 1927 &

photographed on the side while he worked day jobs to support himself.

• He met Roy Stryker in 1935, who hired him for the FSA. Stryker had a clear political agenda for his work, but Evans strongly opposed propaganda.

Negro Barber Shop Interior, Atlanta• Taken by Evans in 1937• Tightly cropped interior

space, void of human figures

• The shop is neat and tidy, but at the same time the scene is cluttered

• Rich in detail and texture (notice smoothness of barber chairs against roughness of wall)

Bernice Abbot• First began to study sculpture in New

York, 1918• Moved to Paris, 1921, and became

attracted to photography• 1926, Abbot had her first solo exhibition

in Paris, which led to her own studio• Returned to the U.S. in 1929 and was

struck by the growing metropolis• She proposed a documentary survey

project for the WPA titled “Changing New York”.

Contrasting No. 331 East 39th Street with Chrysler Building and Daily News Building,

Manhattan• Architects tried to alleviate the depressed vibe of American

citizens by encouraging growth and the feeling of progression through the construction of skyscrapers.

• Abbott’s Contrasting (1938) sets up a dramatic juxtaposition between the old and quickly disappearing, like heavy brick building, New York and the new lighter skyscrapers.

• Different from the works of the FSA because it was not set in a rural setting, and did not express a political agenda.

Social Realism• American Gothic: Grant

Wood• painted scenes promoting

hard work and scenes representing the reality of their lives.

• Commonly painted on;• - libraries    -schools• -hospitals   - prisons

Critical Social Realism

• The Senate: William Gropper

Celebratory

• Dance Marathon: Philip Evergood

Success of New Deal Art Programs

• The success of the PWAP 1933-1934 led to WPA, which lasted eight years

• In total, 340,000 works of art were created during the New Deal

New Forms of Music• Swing

– Orrin Tucker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsnvS2153wg

• Blues– Bessie Smith: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=3rd9IaA_uJI

• Folk– Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsfcUZBMSSg– John Lomax: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=0NTa7ps6sNU

The Golden Age of

Hollywood

To what extent were Roosevelt’s policies successful? (pg. 207)

SUCCESSES FAILURES