Modern Art in 20th-century American Art Week 10

  • Artist: Archibald John Motley, Jr. Title: Cocktails Date: 1926 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 32 x 40 in. (81.3 x 101.6 cm) Repository: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

    Artist: Archibald John Motley, Jr. Title: Cocktails Date: 1926 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 32 x 40 in. (81.3 x 101.6 cm) Repository: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

    This painting is a significant work of the Harlem Renaissance, an art movement that celebrated the vibrancy of Black culture in the 1920s and 1930s. Motley's work is characterized by its bold use of color, theatrical lighting, and a focus on the social life of Black communities, often depicting elegant figures in a lively, modern setting. https://roguearthistorian.substack.com/p/nightlife-illuminated-the-vibrant
  • Artist: James Lesesne Wells Title: Steel Mill II Date: c. 1928-1930s Media: Block print

    Artist: James Lesesne Wells Title: Steel Mill II Date: c. 1928-1930s Media: Block print

    As a pivotal figure in the Harlem Renaissance, Wells's work is significant for its modernist approach and its focus on the everyday lives of African American workers. The artwork's major characteristics include a bold, graphic style influenced by German expressionism and African sculpture, while its themes center on celebrating industrial labor and the working class. https://www.nga.gov/artists/15103-james-lesesne-wells#:~:text=American%2C%201902%20%2D%201993,Expand
  • Grant Wood American Gothic, 1930 Oil/Canvas, 30.75: x 25.75” Art Institute of Chicago

    Grant Wood American Gothic, 1930 Oil/Canvas, 30.75: x 25.75” Art Institute of Chicago

    American Gothic is a key work of the Regionalist art movement, which sought to portray rural American life with a focus on its values and identity during the Great Depression. The painting's major characteristics include its detailed realism, rigid composition, and symbolic themes of hard work, piety, and the resilience of the American spirit. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/american-gothic-painting
  • Artist: Suzanne Scheuer Title: Library Date: 1933 Media: Fresco Repository: Coit Tower, San Francisco

    Artist: Suzanne Scheuer Title: Library Date: 1933 Media: Fresco Repository: Coit Tower, San Francisco

    The Coit Tower murals were created as part of the Public Works of Art Project, a New Deal program that funded artists during the Great Depression. The murals are a significant example of the Social Realism movement, depicting everyday life and work in California. The artists, including Scheuer, were influenced by Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera, who aimed to create art that was accessible and relevant to the public. https://www.pioneerparksf.org/coit-tower-murals
  • Artist: Arthur Durston Title: Industry Date: 1934 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: The specific dimensions are not provided in the available information. Repository: Smithsonian American Art Museum

    Artist: Arthur Durston Title: Industry Date: 1934 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: The specific dimensions are not provided in the available information. Repository: Smithsonian American Art Museum

    The painting is significant as an example of New Deal art from the Great Depression era, which often focused on Social Realism and regionalist themes. Its major characteristics include a stark, somber palette and a style that blends human figures with the industrial landscape to emphasize the monotony and hardship of daily life for workers. Artwork Citation: https://artincontext.org/american-regionalism/
  • ON DOUGLAS, ASPECTS OF NEGRO LIFE, 1934, NYPL, HARLEM, MURALS

    ON DOUGLAS, ASPECTS OF NEGRO LIFE, 1934, NYPL, HARLEM, MURALS

    This painting is a significant work of the Harlem Renaissance, an art movement that celebrated African American culture and history. The major characteristics of the work include its use of stylized, silhouetted figures, geometric shapes, and a limited color palette, which are all hallmarks of Douglas's style that blended African art with modernism. https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/artists/douglas
  • Artist: Manuel G. Silberger (1898-1968) Title: Labor (also known as Toilers or Railroad Construction) Date: 1936 Media: Lithograph Dimensions: Not specified in the provided information. Repository: The Akron Art Museum

    Artist: Manuel G. Silberger (1898-1968) Title: Labor (also known as Toilers or Railroad Construction) Date: 1936 Media: Lithograph Dimensions: Not specified in the provided information. Repository: The Akron Art Museum

    This artwork is significant as it was commissioned through the New Deal art projects during the Great Depression. The print reflects the social realism movement, which focused on depicting the lives and struggles of working-class people. Major characteristics include the use of stark contrasts and dynamic compositions, with themes centered on the dignity and strenuous nature of labor. https://www.artera.ae/artworks/b05abace-b170-4fbe-9fe9-acc24d745f0f
  • Artist: Hale Woodruff Title: The Mutiny on the Amistad Date: 1938-1939 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: The murals are up to six feet high and 20 feet wide. Repository: Savery Library at Talladega College, Talladega, Alabama.

    Artist: Hale Woodruff Title: The Mutiny on the Amistad Date: 1938-1939 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: The murals are up to six feet high and 20 feet wide. Repository: Savery Library at Talladega College, Talladega, Alabama.

    The painting is one of a series of three murals by Woodruff that tell the story of the Amistad mutiny, trial, and repatriation. These murals are significant to the Social Realism and Muralism movements, as they depict a pivotal moment in African-American history and serve as a powerful statement on the struggle for freedom and equality. https://brooklynrail.org/2022/05/artseen/Hale-Woodruff-The-Amistad-Murals/
  • Artist: Harry Sternberg Title: The Family: Industry and Agriculture Date: 1939 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 4'8" x 10'6" Repository: U.S. Post Office in Ambler, Pennsylvania

    Artist: Harry Sternberg Title: The Family: Industry and Agriculture Date: 1939 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 4'8" x 10'6" Repository: U.S. Post Office in Ambler, Pennsylvania

    The painting's significance lies in its representation of the American Regionalism art movement, which focused on realistic depictions of rural and small-town America during the Great Depression. The major characteristics of the work include its social realism, depicting the working class, and its themes of labor, family, and the relationship between industrial and agricultural life in America. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Famil.
  • Artist: Jacob Lawrence Title: The Migration Series, Panel Date: 1940-1941 Media: Casein tempera on hardboard Dimensions: 12 x 18 inches (30.48 x 45.72 cm) Repository: The Phillips Collection and the Museum of Modern Art

    Artist: Jacob Lawrence Title: The Migration Series, Panel Date: 1940-1941 Media: Casein tempera on hardboard Dimensions: 12 x 18 inches (30.48 x 45.72 cm) Repository: The Phillips Collection and the Museum of Modern Art

    Jacob Lawrence's The Migration Series is a significant work of the Harlem Renaissance and American Modernism, chronicling the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North in the early 20th century. The series is characterized by its use of flattened, angular forms, a limited color palette, and a narrative approach that tells a powerful story of hardship, hope, and new beginnings. https://whitney.org/www/jacoblawrence/art/migration_series.html
  • Artist: Norman Lewis Title: Jumping Jive Date: 1942 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 16 x 30 in. (40.6 x 76.2 cm)

    Artist: Norman Lewis Title: Jumping Jive Date: 1942 Media: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 16 x 30 in. (40.6 x 76.2 cm)

    Significance to the art movement/culture: Norman Lewis was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance and the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. "Jumping Jive" captures the energy and culture of the Harlem jazz scene, a central theme of the Harlem Renaissance. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-great-american-painter-norman-wilfred-lewis-gets-his-due-at-pafa