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New Deal art exhibit at the Smithsonian
I heard this brief mention of a New Deal art exhibit on NPR this morning, and just wanted to give everyone an opportunity to look at the pictures. This sounds like a fascinating show; I would make an effort to see it if I was in the area. Any plans for a tour, Smithsonian?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101275990
From the news piece:
"There was a lot of despair ... and shame at being on government relief," says Ann Wagner, one of the curators of the "New Deal" show. For both artists and Americans at large, "these works showed there was plenty to be proud of in their home areas."
Wagner says the program ultimately produced more than 15,000 works, all of them intended for public spaces such as post offices, libraries and hospitals....
Broun points out that Roosevelt once said, "A hundred years from now, my administration will be known for its art, not for its relief."
Well, that's an interesting, if somewhat ironic, note.
I'm apt to get a little choked up about the New Deal whatever its ultimate results (if there is one thing I pray for daily it's that we don't need a war to get us out of this mess) probably because my grandparents were all Roosevelt democrats. (Weirdly, I wrote a ultra-right paper on New Deal WPA projects in high school for AP History.)
But my questions have less to do with the celebration/implications of looking at these pictures now, then they have to do with what was known and thought then. How were these works received in their own time? What has been thought of them over the years? Despite the broad regional subjects in these pieces, there is a distinctive 'WPA style' which is kind of modified Cubism. Where did that come from? Was the work produced expected to adhere to this style? Etc.
This is really one of those moments when I want to hijack a curator for a private tour of the exhibit and ask a million questions. I wish I was still on the Cambridge Art History list and could call a couple professors or suggest a book. (To which my boss would undoubtedly say that it was a fantastic idea, but that the only thing that sells is the quatrocento. Note: the Cambridge Art list was shutdown prior to my leaving the press, not because it didn't make a profit, but because it didn't make ENOUGH of a profit. Boss has retooled the Humanities list to include Art History as mixed with other humanities subjects, including the art & artifact approach to classics.)
Anyway, two other NPR pieces I've meant to post about include this piece about artist Donald Judd and the town of Marfa, Texas. Now if we could only convince some artist to rescue Cleveland. (Just kidding. It is not at all the same thing.)
Also, a number of weeks ago I was surprised to recognize the music of trumpeter Jon Hassell. I kept asking myself why it sounded familiar, but it wasn't until they used the word "Fourth Word" could I realize where I knew it from. Prof. Morton's Ambience Body & Space. I even still have some recordings!
I got out one of the recordings and was immediately struck by how muddy it sounded. This is one of the things I’m in constant awe of regarding the digital age. Is it possible ‘dub’ is called dub because it required overdubbing? Now we artificially emulate the kind of distortion that was introduced by repetitive overdubbing, because electronic music doesn’t have that same kind of distortion. Kate Bush's album Sensual World was the first time I noticed this 'overdub mud' which wouldn't exist if she made the same album, now.
I would love to see Hassell live, which I suspect is the whole point of his music. He is on his first North American tour in 20 years, but tour dates are limited and didn't come anywhere near the heart of the country. I guess if I REALLY want to hear a live show, I will have to take a trip to Scandinavia.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101275990
From the news piece:
"There was a lot of despair ... and shame at being on government relief," says Ann Wagner, one of the curators of the "New Deal" show. For both artists and Americans at large, "these works showed there was plenty to be proud of in their home areas."
Wagner says the program ultimately produced more than 15,000 works, all of them intended for public spaces such as post offices, libraries and hospitals....
Broun points out that Roosevelt once said, "A hundred years from now, my administration will be known for its art, not for its relief."
Well, that's an interesting, if somewhat ironic, note.
I'm apt to get a little choked up about the New Deal whatever its ultimate results (if there is one thing I pray for daily it's that we don't need a war to get us out of this mess) probably because my grandparents were all Roosevelt democrats. (Weirdly, I wrote a ultra-right paper on New Deal WPA projects in high school for AP History.)
But my questions have less to do with the celebration/implications of looking at these pictures now, then they have to do with what was known and thought then. How were these works received in their own time? What has been thought of them over the years? Despite the broad regional subjects in these pieces, there is a distinctive 'WPA style' which is kind of modified Cubism. Where did that come from? Was the work produced expected to adhere to this style? Etc.
This is really one of those moments when I want to hijack a curator for a private tour of the exhibit and ask a million questions. I wish I was still on the Cambridge Art History list and could call a couple professors or suggest a book. (To which my boss would undoubtedly say that it was a fantastic idea, but that the only thing that sells is the quatrocento. Note: the Cambridge Art list was shutdown prior to my leaving the press, not because it didn't make a profit, but because it didn't make ENOUGH of a profit. Boss has retooled the Humanities list to include Art History as mixed with other humanities subjects, including the art & artifact approach to classics.)
Anyway, two other NPR pieces I've meant to post about include this piece about artist Donald Judd and the town of Marfa, Texas. Now if we could only convince some artist to rescue Cleveland. (Just kidding. It is not at all the same thing.)
Also, a number of weeks ago I was surprised to recognize the music of trumpeter Jon Hassell. I kept asking myself why it sounded familiar, but it wasn't until they used the word "Fourth Word" could I realize where I knew it from. Prof. Morton's Ambience Body & Space. I even still have some recordings!
I got out one of the recordings and was immediately struck by how muddy it sounded. This is one of the things I’m in constant awe of regarding the digital age. Is it possible ‘dub’ is called dub because it required overdubbing? Now we artificially emulate the kind of distortion that was introduced by repetitive overdubbing, because electronic music doesn’t have that same kind of distortion. Kate Bush's album Sensual World was the first time I noticed this 'overdub mud' which wouldn't exist if she made the same album, now.
I would love to see Hassell live, which I suspect is the whole point of his music. He is on his first North American tour in 20 years, but tour dates are limited and didn't come anywhere near the heart of the country. I guess if I REALLY want to hear a live show, I will have to take a trip to Scandinavia.
no subject
However, I too pray that we won't need a traditional war, as well.
no subject