Social realism and WPA (Works Progress Administration) art flourished between the two World Wars as a reaction to the hardships and problems suffered by common people starting with the Great Depression. Artists turned to realist portrayals of workers and ordinary folk as a way connect, portray, and relate to their plight. Celebrities were utilized as well as heroic symbols of strength in the face of adversity. The goal of the artists was both social as well as political. By exposing the challenged conditions of the poor and working classes, they could hold existing governmental and sociatal systems accountable.
John Barber
Bread Bakers (c.1930)
Oil on canvas 22" x 18"
Louis Bouche
Judgement of Paris (1948)
Oil on canvas, 40" x 50"
Philip Evergood
Lure of the Waters (1946)
Oil on canvas mounted on masonite,36" x 48"
Philip Evergood
Eat More Cranberries (c.1938)
Oil on masonite, 26" x 40"
Gregorio Prestopino
The Junkman's Serenade (c.1935)
Oil on canvas, 36" x 26"
Paul Sample
Cartin' the Leaf (1942)
Oil on canvas, 26" x 42"
Joseph Solman
ASPCA: Street Near Bellevue (1939)
Oil on canvas, 25" x 34"
