Art Style Study

American Scene Painting

1931-1940

The Shiner, 1953, Oil on CanvasKim DeVillier

American Scene Painting

❖ A general term encompassing the realist and anti-modernist style of painting

❖ Popular in America during the Great Depression

❖ A reaction against European Modernism

❖ An attempt to define a uniquely American style of art

Two main schools:

Regionalism: rurally oriented

Social Realism: urban and politically oriented

Regionalism

There are several artists who painted in this style. Three of the more famous ones are:❖ Grant Wood❖ Norman Rockwell❖ Andrew Wyeth

Young Corn, 1931, Oil on Masonite panel

Grant Wood

❖ Born on a farm near Anamosa, Iowa in 1891

❖ Considered the Father of American Scene painting

❖ Loved the simplicity of land scenes and people

❖ Had great affection for the people and customs of the Midwest

Self Portrait, 1932, Oil on Canvas

American Gothic 1930, Oil on Beaverboard

Considered the most famous Grant Wood painting.

So named because the design of the arch-shaped window in the background is Middle Age Gothic

Woman with Plants, 1929, Oil on Cardboard

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, 1931, Oil on Masonite

Norman Rockwell

❖ Most famous for cover illustrations of everyday life in the Saturday Evening Post

❖ Worked with the Boy Scouts of America for 64 years, producing covers for their publication, Boys’ Life

❖ Later works depicted his interest in poverty, civil rights, and space exploration

Triple Self-Portrait, 1960, Oil on Canvas

Rosie the Riveter 1943, Oil on Canvas

Rockwell’s iconic personification of women’s efforts to aid the American military to victory

during WWII.

Happy Birthday, Miss Jones, 1956, Oil on Canvas

Rockwell was meticulous when it

came to his paintings.

He chose his models, props, and settings to

form a tableau.

Then he directed the scene as though it

were a movie.

“Every single object shown in a picture should contribute

directly to the central theme. All other things should be

ruthlessly discarded.”

No Swimming,

1921, Oil on Canvas

The American Way, 1944, Oil on Canvas

The Problem We All Live With, 1964, Oil on Canvas

Andrew Wyeth

❖ His favorite subjects were the land and people around him.

❖ Was homeschooled

❖ Mastered figure study, watercolor, and egg tempera painting technique.

❖ His favorite master painter was Winslow Homer

Self Portrait, nd, tempera on canvas

Christina’s World 1948, Tempera on Gessoed Panel

One of the best-known American paintings of the mid 20th Century

Wyeth was known as the “Painter of

the People”

Master Bedroom, 1965, watercolor

Winter, 1946, Tempera on Panel

Braids, 1977, Tempera on Panel

Public Sale, 1943, Tempera on Panel

Social Realism

There are several artists who painted in this style. Two of the more famous ones are:❖ Diego Rivera❖ Edward Hopper

Diego Rivera, Flower Carrier, 1935, Oil and Tempera on Masonite

Diego Rivera

❖ Considered the greatest Mexican painter of the 20th Century

❖ Famous for reintroducing fresco painting into modern art

❖ Married to Frida Kahlo, another famous Mexican artist

Self Portrait, 1949, Tempera on Linen

Portrait of Natasha Gelman, 1943

One of Rivera’s finest works - a portrait of Jacques Gelman’s wife with calla lilies in the background - the perfect example of Mexico’s flora.

A View of Toledo from two different artists’

perspectives

El Greco, 1598-99, Oil on Canvas

Diego Rivera, 1912, Oil on Canvas

What are the differences? The similarities?

The Flower Seller, 1942, Oil on

Canvas

Edward Hopper

❖ Struggled to gain recognition for his works

❖ Was the last great Social Realist

❖ His paintings suggested a powerful sense of isolation in postwar America Self-Portrait, 1925, Oil on Canvas

Nighthawks 1942, Oil on Canvas

Hopper’s most famous work depicting people in a diner late at night

Chop Suey, 1929, Oil on Canvas

Sunday, 1926, Oil on Canvas

–Norman Rockwell

“Some people have been kind enough to call me a fine artist. I've always called myself an illustrator. I'm not sure what the difference is. All I know is that whatever type of work I do, I try to give it my very best. Art has been my life.”

The End