Early Modern Era 11/4/2021
Early Modern Blog
Theme: The Influence of the Great Depression
1) Refuse, 1935
History and Connection:
This work is titled, Refuse, by artist, Winifred Milius Lubell in New York City. It was painted in 1935 and is a sketched drawing of two homeless individuals sleeping on the ground. Lubell is described as, "a politically radical graphic artist of the 1930s". She was known for her other portraits featuring unemployed men and children and would sketch homeless people in Central Park in her teenage years. This portrait is connected to the theme because it exhibits the agonizing realities that many people faced throughout the Great Depression, including poverty.
Aesthetic Reaction:
This was the first work I chose to exhibit in my blog and it caught my eye because I could feel how intense the atmosphere was. After learning that Lubell drew this exact scene from her own eyes, I could not help but feel so sorrowful for these individuals. Throughout my education, even in secondary school, I always knew the Great Depression to be quite an unfortunate event in American history. Seeing it through the eyes of a first hand witness really moved me, especially seeing their discomfort and despair. Lubell used integrated shading in her work, highlighting certain aspects of the figures and the ground they lay on. She also uses harsh, diagonal lines in drawing the bodies; there is not much presence of any round, organic shapes in this piece.
2) Family Flats, 1935
History and Connection:
The art piece, Family Flats was painted in 1935 by Millard Sheets in Los Angeles, California. Sheets reveals the typical housing situation during the Great Depression for many families; they would live in buildings divided by a landlord called tenements. They were quite chaotic and overcrowded, never a silent moment. This work in particular features an extinct neighborhood in Los Angeles called, Bunker Hill. It also shows how laundry was done, handwashed and hung to dry on clothes' lines.
Aesthetic Reaction:
I was never truly aware of the living circumstances that citizens in the Great Depression faced, I only knew that several faced poverty due to the crash of the economy and lack of jobs. Seeing this work firsthand shocked me as I saw the extremely crowded spaces. I then proceeded to think about one of my favorite childhood movies of all time, Annie. I recall that Annie had been raised in an orphanage in New York in the 1930's during the Great Depression. I familarized the orphanage to the buildings in this piece since they look so similar. Sheets utilizes 3D perspective in illustrating the buildings as well as an intricate use of space. Every crevice of the scene is filled with some kind of detail, all the way to the top.
3) The Curtain Factory, 1936
History and Connection:
The Curtain Factory was painted in 1936 by Riva Helfond. It depicts a curtain making sweatshop featuring women working tirelessly to get their work done. During the Great Depression, women worked very hard even though their pay never amounted to what men were being paid. Prior to the Great Depression, there were marriage work ban laws until the economy faced severe destruction. Helfond's work represents the women who began the revolution for fair wage rights and womens' rights in totality.
Aesthetic Reaction:
I absolutely loved every part of this piece; the simplicity, the emotions evoked and the message Helfond spread about these women. I felt that this work represented the dark reality that women faced in that time period. Women were not treated equally to men and faced harsh circumstances not only in their work enviroment but their lives in general. It makes me reflect on how humanity has come a long way, and hopefully will keep fighting injustice toward all minority groups. There is a lot of symbolism and like the first piece, a lot of shading in the detail. It also uses a variety of shapes, rounder shapes toward the figures and straight lines in the furniture.
"Great Depression." National Gallery of Art, www.nga.gov/features/slideshows/great-depression.html#slide_2.
"Visualizing Recovery: The Federal Art Project’s Legacy in Prints | Magazine | MoMA." The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/magazine/articles/381.
"Winifred Lubell, ’30s Artist Who Became Book Illustrator - The Boston Globe." BostonGlobe.com, 7 Jan. 2012, www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2012/01/07/winifred-lubell-artist-who-became-book-illustrator/pJtdf9mcYz97OcwWIZxPbP/story.html.
Hi Iona, I loved your blog on the Early Modern Era and how you tied it together with the Great Depression. I think the pieces of artwork you chose to write about are all beautiful. I like how they all look like they are the same art style, they all use the same color scheme. When you look at them quickly they look like drawings done with pencils. I love how you chose sketches as your three pieces of art. I think they all relate to the theme and the Great Depression, in the first piece we see two homeless people sleeping on the ground, in the second we can see the crowded living situations, and in the third, we can see hardworking women in a curtain sweatshop. All three pieces of art can be tied to the Great Depression because many homeless people and people were living in crowded areas during the Great Depression. There were also many women working in curtain sweatshops and were not being treated equally to men during the Great Depression. Before this week's blog, I didn't see anyone use sketches and illustrations as art pieces to analyze on, I liked seeing something new. I think you did a great job, Iona!
ReplyDeleteIona,
ReplyDeleteAs I was looking through the blogs the "Refuse" caught me, it isn't a very technically correct for how it appears to be following a realistic style. But the way it is done adds so much to the feeling of the depression. Thank you for making clear connections to history, I really appreciate your second choice, "Family, Flats". There is something about hearing where one puts their head at night that makes it honest. Personally I think the line work specifically the building perspective is well done. It is also nice that all three are black and white which defiantly adds to the overall theme.
I enjoyed reading about the art prices you chose for the early modern era and the connection to the Great Depression. Art truly gives us an authentic look into history; I find it more impactful than photographs even. The pieces all tell a story, just like the ones in your blog. I also thought it to be interesting that the art you chose was all in black and white. No color.
ReplyDeleteYour commentary on these pieces is amazing. I feel like these are lesser known works of art from the time period, but they emit so much more emotion than others. I agree completely that you really get a sense of how awful the time was. I think the darker values in all of these works really pay homage to the intensity of the time. The second work is my favorite of the three that you showcased. I also admire the level of detail that encompasses every inch of the page, as you mentioned. Great work. Thank you!
ReplyDelete