This week I will be exploring the arts and aesthetics of the Early Modern era. The Early Modern era took place between 1900 and 1939. This was a time where the world was going through many changes. This was due to many developments and growth within subjects such as manufacturing and technologies. This era also introduced new freedom for artists. Artists were no longer confined to art specifically to tell a story, depict religion, or present mythical events. On the other hand, many emotional and historically sad events took place that influenced the art at this time.
One theme that influenced art heavily at this time was the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a worldwide economic depression that took place mostly near 1930. This was the effect of the stock market crash of October 1929. This led to the element of strong emotion within the art. The other elements used is color lack of. Lack of color paired with the emotion element can easily put the mood as almost dull.
This first piece is one of the most famous photographs from the Great Depression. This is called Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange. The photograph was taken at a migrant camp in Nipomo, California. This image presents a mother and her children during this hard time. The image symbolizes hunger, hopelessness, and poverty which was the case for many Americans during this time. This photo brings out the very strong element of emotion and you feel that sense of sadness and hopelessness within the mother's face. The hope for the thousands of photos that Lange had taken during this time, including this one, was to help catch the eye of Americans so that they could see the thousands of people suffering from the events that led to the Dust Bowl. I very much enjoy this photograph. I think that this is a photograph that immediely gives off "a picture is worth a thousand words."
The second piece I have chosen is called
Departure of the Joads by Thomas Hart Benton. This piece was created in 1939 as part of a series to promote a field that was going to be based on John Steinbeck's novel,
The Grapes of Wrath. The painting scenes the Joad family abandoning their Oklahoma family farm due to the drought. Their plan is to seek a new and better life in California. This painting brings out the element of emotion through the backstory. I personally liked the light used to highlight the objects in the painting.
The last piece I chose is called No Work by Blanche Grambs. Im not sure where it was created but it was published in 1935. The image presents a man sitting on a curb with his head down low. This has a strong element of emotion and very well paired with the black and white. You can feel the defeat that he is feeling during this depression. It definitely depicts hopelessness. I enjoy this painting for the simplicity and also the same reason that "a picture is worth a thousand words."
While researching for this blog, these three definetly caught my eye. I think that Migrant Mother will forever be known and one of the most famous images that represent the history of hurt. All pieces very much put you in a mood of sadness and you feel for the thousands of people who went through the events of the Great Depression.
Citations
Pruitt, Sarah. “The Real Story Behind the 'Migrant Mother' in the Great Depression-Era Photo.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 8 May 2020, www.history.com/news/migrant-mother-new-deal-great-depression.
“[No Work] / Blanche Mary Grambs.” The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/99400835/.
Tiare,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting the picture called , "Migrant Mother." This famous photo of history from the Great Depression has always evoked a sense of truth in emotion in me. I remember in high school history class being shown this picture and not really understanding it fully. Not until my adult years I watched a special on PBS about the Dust Bowl did I really grasp the history behind this era. How over 6,ooo migrant farm workers had left their homes to seek work in California's agriculture fields. Some of the history behind this photograph was that it was commissioned by Lange to help illustrate the migrants need for federal aid. It is said that after Lange delivered her award winning photograph to a San Francisco newspaper and only then the federal government had decided to deliver aide to the camp that the woman in the photograph was living in. But the catch is, the woman had already left that camp. Such a neat piece of history. Thank you for your post on early modern photography.
Your selections are all so forlorn and melancholic! I love it. The color schemes are so muted, or absent altogether. I've skimmed through other Blanche Gramb's lithographs and they're so consistent and representative of the times. It seems she understood socioeconomic status/economic oppression at a very early age and was foundational for her line of artwork. Very identifiable, thanks for introducing me.
ReplyDeleteAll of the artwork presented here gives of such a bleak feeling. It all has a monochrome finish that really drives home the idea that this was a time filled with hardship. I am really drawn to No Work. I love the dark shading that emphasizes the shadows and the way he is drawn sitting with arms on his knees, makes you really feel for him and people in the same position.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. It was nice to look into the history of the photograph, Migrant Mother. I have seen it before so its interesting to analyze it now knowing the historical significance. This picture was taken of a woman named Florence during the Great Depression. Her family lived and worked in a pea pickers camp due to their crop failing. I was shocked to learn that she was only 32 when this picture was taken and that these are 3 of her 7 children. The light focuses your attention to Florence, whose children are leaning on her symbolizing their reliance on her to take care of them physically and financially.
ReplyDeleteFlorence looks out into the distance, her mouth downturned producing a grim look on her face. I imagine that she is trying to figure out how to save her family. Her arms look dirty and the hem of the sleeve is frayed and worn. She has been overworked for years and has very little to show for it which I think stirs up feelings in all of us who believe in fairness. I think that she also reflects resilience. While she looks worried there is a strength that she has to have for her family.
I enjoy the Departure of the Joads because of the slightly exagerated curves in the landscape, the side of the house and the clouds. This brings the landscape in the front closer to the viewer and the house further in the painting.