Early Modern Era: The Great Depression
In 1929 the Great Depression took over America when Wall Street investors traded around 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange. The 16 million shares were sold over a single day on October 29th, causing billions of dollars to vanish. The economic growth and prosperity of the Roaring 20s had disagreed, and 25% of Americans became unemployed. The artwork produced during this time reflected the loss of hope and heartbreak during the worst economic downturn in the country's history.
Georgia O'Keeffe, Cow's Skull with Calico Roses, 1931.
Georgia O'Keeffe was in New Mexico when she collected this cow skull in the summer of 1930 after a drought had devastated the southwest, and hundreds of animal skeletons could be found in the desert. The elegance of the bones captivated her, and she brought some back to New York to paint them. Calico Roses are used in graveyards in New Mexico. O'Keeffe's usage of these in the painting helps display the darkness within the image that represents life and death. The use of shading helps show off the ivory glow of the skill, and the way she highlights the breaks within the skull helps display how much the cow went through in life and death. The painting expresses the sentiment that many people felt in the Great Depression, that they would die if they couldn't get food or water.
Edward Hopper, New York Movie, 1939.
Edward Hopper's New York Movie painting helps people escape the social, economic, and political landscape in the United States during the Great Depression. In December 1938, he started his research and sketched ideas from his observations. He visited many movie theatres to find the perfect setting for his painting. The women on the right are his wife ( also an artist), who had modeled for his work before. When you look at the picture, you can see and feel the melancholy tone in the painting. The setting in the movie theatre gives off a sense of isolation and shows how people would go to escape their lives. The detail in the picture is beautiful. I love how you can see the flower design of the carpet and make out the cherry red seats.
Works Cited
“Stock Market Crash of 1929.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 10 May 2010, https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/1929-stock-market-crash.
Colarossi, Natalie. “25 Vintage Photos Show How Desperate and Desolate America Looked during the Great Depression, the Last Time the Unemployment Rate Was as High as It Is Today.” Insider, Insider, 11 May 2020, https://www.insider.com/great-depression-photos-of-america-unemployment-2020-5#the-effects-of-the-great-depression-could-be-felt-into-the-early-1940s-and-over-the-course-of-the-decade-more-than-15-million-americans-lost-their-jobs-4.
Editors. (2020). Great Depression. Great depression. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://www.nga.gov/learn/teachers/lessons-activities/uncovering-america/great-depression.html#:~:text=Artists%20during%20the%20Depression%20portrayed,saw%20the%20world%20around%20them.
O'Keeffe, G., & Editors. (2018). Cow's skull with Calico Roses. The Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://www.artic.edu/artworks/61428/cow-s-skull-with-calico-roses
Tom. (2019). New York Movie. New York Movie Edward Hopper Painting. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://www.thehistoryofart.org/edward-hopper/new-york-movie/
Thanks for sharing, Allyse! I really enjoyed all three pieces you chose to showcase in your blog. All three have an element of despair that was eminent during this difficult time. The photograph is very disturbing and hard to imagine being desperate enough to sell yourself and while wearing this sign looking for mercy from the on-goers. Your second piece I absolutely love! I find it extremely esthetically pleasing and I would like to own a copy of it. Knowing it was from the animals that starved during the Great Depression changes my appreciation of this piece. Like you mentioned in your blog, I really appreciate the detail in your third piece. It’s a very somber, isolating piece. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Allyse, great selection of artwork. I quite enjoyed reading your thoughts on each piece and you did very well drawing connections to the Great Depression. An event that significant, it surely had influenced artists of that time and I enjoyed learning more. I don't particularly find the overall aesthetic of the first piece you chose by Robley Stevens appealing, it is quite stark for my taste. However, I am fond of your second and third choices, each for different reasons. The second piece by Georgia O'Keeffe has great symbolism and a nice neutral color story that I enjoy. Furthermore, in the third piece by Edward Hopper I find the touch of somberness oddly fitting for the elegant setting. Overall, I really enjoyed analyzing how each artist depicted the struggles of the Great Depression, as they all had a distinct style of doing so. Great work and thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Allyse, wonderful blog this week. Very interesting choices of artwork this week. The first photo really stuck out to me. The picture creates a desperate tone as these times many people had to be desperate. The photo always paints such a real setting and raw feeling during this time. Knowing he only has two choices is mind boggling and something I thankfully have not had to experience. Knowing people were on the brink of death due to the absence or work and jobs makes me quite grateful for where I am today. The crazy part about the depression and this era was that in the twenties the economy was doing great. Everything just kind of spiraled out of no where. Keep up the great work.
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