Download - Social Realism Artworks

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title American Gothic (1930) Subject The painting American Gothic symbolizes

life in rural America and is one of the

greatest icons of American Art.

It shows how the people in the rural areas

lived and how they value hard work and

their faith.

The painting, depending on one’s

interpretation, may consider it as a

celebration of the American rural spirit or

may consider it as a mild irony such that it

shows also the cynicism of the people

depicted in the stubborn look of the old

man and the tough girl image of the

woman.

Artist Grant Wood The artist used a house with a design

common in his native Iowa which used

Gothic pointed arch windows which were

trademarks of the architecture of the

houses there. Then the artist’s sister and

his dentist were made as the subjects of

the painting. The man wore a black coat

and a shirt with a design resembling the

pitchfork that he was holding.

Medium Oil on Beaverboard

Size 74.3 cm x 62.4 cm

(29 1/4 in x 24 1/2 in)

Location Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Price No Available Price

Elements

Line Curved lines, straight lines

Value Light colors in

background, dark colors in

clothing

Light/Shadow Shadows seen between

the man’s shirt and the

pitchfork

Type of Subject

Texture Smooth Portraits

Volume Flat

Space Two-Dimensional Source of Subject

Shape Elongated and arched

shapes

Everyday Rural Life

Color Shades of white in the

house, black, white and

maroon on their clothing

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title Echo of a Scream (1937) Subject The painting shows the horrors war can

bring to the people especially to the

innocent ones.

The baby symbolizes the massive trauma

that war brings to the lives of the people.

The echo of the baby’s cry, represented by

the enlarged shadow, symbolizes the

persistent calls to condemn and

discourage war as a human practice.

The debris that scattered in the place

where the baby sat symbolize the damage

to property and livelihood which will

result into a humanitarian disaster.

Artist David Alfaro Siqueiros The painting depicted a crying baby and a

shadow of the baby at the back. The

shadow of the baby was enlarged and the

real baby sat on the ground with debris

brought by a war scattered all over the

place.

Medium Enamel on wood

Size 121.9 cm x 91.4 cm

(48 in x 36 in)

Location Museum of Modern Art

New York, NY, USA


Elements

Line Straight, Curved, Pointed

Value Combination of dark hues

Light/Shadow Absence of light all over Type of Subject

Texture Rough History

Volume Heavy, deep hiding

Space Two-Dimensional Source of Subject

Shape Irregular Shapes Current events at the time of the painting

Color Strong, dark colors

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title The Migration of the Negro,

panel # 49 (1940-41)

Subject This is one of the paintings found on the

60-panel collection of Jacob Lawrence’s

paintings entitled the Migration of the

Negro. The paintings show the summary

of the migration of the African-Americans

from the southern parts of the United

States to the northern parts such as New

York City to search for a new life.

Specifically for this panel, numbered no.

49, it showed how the African-Americans

faced the challenges that discrimination

brings to them. It also showed how the

practice of segregation by the whites

became a norm as a form of

discrimination.

Artist Jacob Lawrence The subjects on the compilation are the

African-Americans. Specifically on this said

panel, it depicted a small diner where the

Whites and the African-Americans eat

with a cordon separating the two groups.

The white people, who sat on the left side

of the diner, didn’t mind the African

Americans on their right because of the

cordon separating them. The African-

Americans meanwhile sat on the right side

because of the segregation policies.

Medium Casein Tempera on Hardboard

Size 45.72cm x 30.48 cm (18” x 12”)

Location The Phillips Collection

Washington, DC, USA


Elements

Line Straight

Value Distinction between light

and dark colors shown in

the people’s faces

Light/Shadow Light is still Type of Subject

Texture Rough, air bubbles

present

Historical

Volume Flat

Perspective Two-dimensional Source of Subject

Space Quadrilaterals and

elongated heads

History

Color Gray background with

colors of clothing ranging

from orange to bluish

green to black and yellow

in the cordon

SEMIOTIC ICONIC CONTENT

Title Welcome Home (1946) Subject The painting criticized the power of the

military and the capitalists through the

use of satirical images..

It showed their excesses especially to the

general whose jaw on one side was

elongated due to the food in his mouth.

It also showed the indifference that the

subjects towards one another and was

manifested in the socialite’s actions and

behavior.

It was exhibited in Moscow, Russia in 1959

and stirred a controversy and even then

US President Dwight Eisenhower gave a

comment with regards to the painting

which compared the painting to a

lampoon.

Levine said that the general was a big slob

who is a vice-president of a bank and a

president of the Chamber of Commerce

and was only in the Army recently and the

socialite was the general’s wife.

Artist Jack Levine The painting depicted a decorated general

who was given a party by the elites. The

general was portrayed to have eaten a lot

and was joined by a bored socialite and

two businessmen in the table where the

newly-arrived general ate. The general

also put some salt onto the celery that he

was eating and there was also a waiter

depicted in the painting, who served some

wine to the businessman who was on the

general’s side.

Medium Oil on Canvas

Size 101.4 cm x 152.2 cm

(39 15/16 in x 59 15/16 in)

Location Brooklyn Museum

Brooklyn, New York, USA


Elements

Line Diagonal, intersecting

lines present

Value Arrangement of colors and

strokes are scattered

Light/Shadow Light distributed evenly on

all directions

Type of Subject

Texture Uneven texture Historical Satire

Volume Faces of persons have

prominent distortions

Space Two-dimensional Source of Subject

Shape Elongated and irregular

shapes of faces, regular

shapes present in fixtures

Current Events during the time of painting

Color Use of bright colors such

as yellow on most part,

dark colors on clothing

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title Migrant Mother, Nipomo

Valley (1936)

Subject The photograph “Migrant Mother” is one

of the most enduring symbolisms of the

Great Depression, which defined the very

existence of the people during that era

and beyond and has made a lasting mark

to the nation’s history.

The woman in the photo is Florence

Owens Thompson, who was a peasant

who moved to California to search for

food during the Great Depression and was

put to a standstill after the peas that they

planted there were destroyed by rain.

The identity of the woman in the iconic

photograph was unknown until a few

years after Lange’s death.

Artist Dorothea Lange The picture showed a 32-year old woman

in the middle who worked in a farm in

Nipomo Valley in California together with

two of her seven children on her sides.

The woman, who was positioned at the

center, placed her hands near her face as

the photograph was taken in their tent.

The two children on her side hid their

faces on their mother’s shoulder.

Medium Film Negative

Gelatin Silver Print (Photo)

Size 10.2 cm x 12.7 cm (4 in x 5 in)

(film negative)

Location FSA/OWI Collection,

Library of Congress

Washington, DC, USA


Elements

Line Diagonal, Straight

Value Bright middle portions,

Light/Shadow Light was focused on

subjects

Type of Subject

Texture Glossy Portraits

Volume Flat

Perspective Two-Dimensional Source of Subject

Shape Triangular pattern found

between the subjects

Current Events of that time

Color Black and White

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title Nighthawks (1942) In Hopper’s signature painting, he

depicted a diner in New York City as the

setting and put in three customers and the

counterman as the subjects of the

painting. The man and the woman sat on

the portion of the counter wherein their

faces can be seen by the audience while

the other man sat on the portion where

his back can only be seen. The

counterman meanwhile, was in motion

and was looking to the two people in front

of him. Between these four people shown

in the painting, there was an air of

distance between them.

The painting Nighthawks symbolize the

loneliness and apathy of the people

towards their fellowmen.

It also depicted the loneliness and

isolation that the city may bring to a

person to his or her life.

The open gaps that were prevalent in the

diner and the city street shows the feeling

of distance that manifests in the

interaction of the subjects towards one

another.

Although Hopper rejected the

interpretations of art critics regarding to

his work, the common notion that the

painting depicts indifference and apathy

of the city dwellers still remained.

Artist Edward Hopper


Size 84.1 cm X 152.4 cm

(33 1/8” X 60”)

Location Art Institute of Chicago,

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Price $ 3,000

(purchase price in 1942)

Elements

Line Diagonal, curved

Value High contrast between

interiors and exteriors

Light/Shadow Light was concentrated to

the diner’s interiors, forms

shadows to the outside

Type of Subject

Texture Smooth Cityscape

Volume Flat

Space Two-dimensional Source of Subject

Shape Angular, imposing shapes Everyday Life

Color Cream interiors to dark -

green

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title Pioneers and Early Settlers,

part of The Social History of

Missouri (1936)

Subject The mural, which was an overall summary

of the History of Missouri where Benton

came from, became one of his most iconic

artworks.

It shows to the people that art can be an

effective medium to bring the story of the

collective roots of the people in a locality

to life.

This particular section of the mural

showed the challenges that the new

settlers face in adjusting to their new life

in a new found land and to the indigenous

residents who lived in that land for a long

time to live together in harmony with the

settlers.

Artist Thomas Hart Benton This section of Benton’s mural in the

Missouri State Capitol depicted the

humble beginnings of the state. The left

side of the section showed settlers who

moved together with their families in a

new found land. It also showed a white

man trading with an American Indian. The

right corner showed how the people

constructed the first buildings of the State.

Medium Egg Tempera

Size No Available Size

Location Missouri State Capitol

Jefferson City, Missouri, USA

Price $ 10 Million (2003 values)

Elements

Line Lines are fluid

Value Contrast between colors

are balanced

Light/Shadow Light is distributed

throughout the mural

Type of Subject

Texture Smooth Historical

Volume Heavy

Space Two-dimensional with

magnification effect of the

subjects

Source of Subject

Shape Angled, mixed History and Legend

Color Bright colors

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title Modern Migration of the

Spirit, Panel 21 of The Epic of

American Civilization (1932-

34)

Subject

The panel showed a defiantly resurrected

Jesus Christ who was surrounded by his

Cross which was fallen from its place

together with armed weapons and

material symbols which he also destroyed.

The mural, numbered 21, is part of the

series of murals entitled “The Epic of

American Civilization” and is known as

“Modern Migration of the Spirit”.

This panel symbolizes the destruction of

world orders and systems which deprive

the rights of the people especially the

oppressed and the marginalized.

The depiction of Jesus Christ in this mural

is a symbolism that he will destroy once

and for all the sources of human misery

like arms that are made by man and used

to kill fellow people.

Artist Jose Clemente Orozco

Medium Fresco

Size No available size

Location Baker Memorial Library,

Darthmouth College, Hanover,

New Hampshire, USA

Price $ 10,000 (total cost, 1934)

Elements

Line Diagonal, Vertical

Value Dark tones predominant

Light/Shadow Dark portions in the right,

Spotlight is on Christ,

Shadows on Christ’s foot

Type of Subject

Texture Smooth Religion and Mythology

Volume Flat


Shape Angular, cylindrical

(armaments)

Judeo-Christian

Color Dark colors like black

complemented with

lighter tones

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title Man, Controller of the

Universe (1934)

(formerly known as Man at the

Crossroads)

Subject

The mural depicted a proletarian in the

center who is in control of the machine

that he is operating. There was also an

intersection formed at the back of the

worker which showed the human body

and the universe. The left side of the

mural showed a biology class, elites who

were partying, protesters being arrested

by the police and a masked army. The

right side of the mural showed people

marching peacefully during Labor Day. The

middle right portion showed Lenin shaking

hands with the people and the far right

portion showed Trotsky holding a banner.

This mural was the recreated version with

the same content that Diego Rivera

created after the original mural which was

painted in the Rockefeller Center in New

York was destroyed by the order of his

patron, Nelson Rockefeller, after seeing

the image of Lenin in that said mural.

The mural symbolizes the victory of the

proletarian, who is the center of the

universe and their march to freedom and

also the glorification of the ideologies of

socialism and even communism.

The mural features several well-known

people like Vladimir Lenin and Leon

Trotsky who were Russian Communist

figures.

Ben Shahn, one of the artists who

embraced social realism, worked with

Rivera in the original, ill-fated version of

this mural in New York.

Artist Diego Rivera

Medium Fresco

Size No Available Size

Location Palacio de Bellas Artes

Mexico City, Mexico

(location of the revived mural)

Price

Elements

Line Curved, Vertical, diagonal

Value Color tones are evenly

distributed

Light/Shadow Light is spread out all

over the painting

Type of Subject

Texture Smooth Historical

Volume Flat, Compact


Shape Elliptical, circular, angular Current Events during that time

Color Red, gold colors widely

used with other hues

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title Years of Dust (1937) Subject The poster, which was created during the

Great Depression, gave a glitter of hope to

the farmers who were impoverished by

dust storms that hit them.

The bold-face fonts in the poster convey a

message that these people shall be given

the needed help whenever they needed it

greatly.

The picture in the poster depicted the

loneliness and the despair of a person

especially in times of calamities and

economic depressions which can affect

the overall well-being of the person.

Artist Ben Shahn The poster showed a farmer sitting

outside of his house with his hands

clenched on his face as a sign of

frustration. It also showed a newspaper on

the farmer’s lap which wrote about a dust

storm hitting the area where the farmer

lived.

Medium Color Lithograph

Size 96.2 cm x 63.5 cm

(37 7/8 in x 25 in)

Location Library of Congress

Washington, DC, USA


Elements

Line Vertical, horizontal,

intersecting

Value Darker consistencies of

color are used

Light/Shadow Farmer’s eyes are dark

then contrasts to the

bright portions of his

mouth and hands

Type of Subject

Texture Slightly rough, Print

residues present

Portraits

Volume Bold-faced lettering,

drawing area is flat


Shape Quadrilateral Current Events during that time

Color Black, white, brown

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title McSorley’s Bar (1912) Subject This painting, which was made by one of

the members of the Ash Can School who

were the frontrunners of Social Realism,

John Sloan, depicted a famous, all-men

bar which served as their social area.

The painting symbolized the respite of the

working class from a hard day’s work

through the image of the bar.

The bar, which is one of the most famous

in New York, was founded in 1854 and

catered to the working class market.

Artist John Sloan The painting depicted a bar table wherein

drinks are served. The bartender was busy

in preparing drinks and passed to his

waiter the prepared drinks to the

customers. There were three customers in

this painting. The first man stood near the

waiter, waiting for his drink. On the far

right, there were two men who were

chatting over a round of drinks.


Size 66 cm x 81.3 cm (26 in x 32 in)

Location Detroit Institute of Arts

Detroit, Michigan, USA


Elements

Line Horizontal, vertical

Value Dark areas in bar counter

and fixtures, light areas on

the center and the floor

Light/Shadow Light focuses on the

center near the bartender,

shadows manifested from

the customers

Type of Subject

Texture Smooth City Life

Volume Flat, Moderate fill


Shape Linear shapes Everyday Life

Color Shades of yellow to brown

extensively used

SEMIOTIC ICONIC

CONTENT

Title Alabama Tenant Farmer Wife

(1936)

Subject This photograph, part of a series, showed

a flat smile, which was one of the four

facial expressions of the subject that Evans

shot in his camera.

The grin of the woman showed the

underlying frustration and despair that the

Great Depression was bringing to her, to

her husband and to their family.

In other photographs of the subject, it also

showed the anger and resentment of the

woman towards her situation during the

depression through her grinning pose.

Artist Walker Evans The subject of this photograph is Allie Mae

Burroughs, the wife of a farmer living in

Alabama. The couple never owned a piece

of land and were tenants to a landlord.

The subject was positioned at the back of

their cabin and the photograph was taken

with her in the center. The subject made a

flat smile on the shot.

Medium Film Negative

Gelatin Silver Print (Photo)

Size 20.3 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in)

(size of photograph)

Location Library of Congress

Washington, DC, USA


Elements

Line Horizontal lines

Value Lighter hues dominate

due to light

Light/Shadow Light was focused on the

subject, shadows found on

subject’s back

Type of Subject

Texture Smooth, Glossy Portraits

Volume Flat, Linear

Space Two-dimensional, subject

is at the center

Source of Subject

Shape Shapes of wood planks

served as background

Current Events at that time

Color Black and White

Nighthawks (1942)

Edward Hopper

Oil on Canvas

84.1 cm x 152.4 cm (33 1/8 in by 60 in)

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

American Gothic (1930)

Grant Wood

Oil on Beaverboard

74.3 cm x 62.4 cm (29 1/4 in x 24 1/2 in)

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

McSorley’s Bar (1912)

John Sloan

Oil on Canvas

66 cm x 81.3 cm (26 in x 32 in)

Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Welcome Home (1946)

Jack Levine

Oil on Canvas

101.4 cm x 152.2 cm (39 15/16 in x 59 15/16 in)

Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Pioneers and Early Settlers, section of The Social History of Missouri

Thomas Hart Benton

Egg Tempera

Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City, Missouri, USA

Years of Dust (1937)

Ben Shahn

Color Lithograph

96.2 cm x 63.5 cm (37 7/8 in x 25 in)

Library of Congress, Washington, DC, USA

The Migration of the Negro, Panel no. 49 (1940-41)

Jacob Lawrence

Casein Tempera on Hardboard

45.72 cm x 30.48 cm (18 in x 12 in)

The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, USA

Modern Migration of the Spirit, Panel 21 of The Epic of American Civilization (1932-34)

Jose Clemente Orozco

Fresco

Baker Memorial Library, Darthmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA

Migrant Mother, Nipomo Valley (1936)

Dorothea Lange

Gelatin Silver Print and Film Negative

10.2 cm x 12.7 cm (4 in x 5 in) (negative)

FSA/OWI Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, USA

Echo of a Scream (1937)

David Alfaro Siqueiros

Enamel on Wood

121.9 cm x 91.4 cm (48 in x 36 in)

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, USA

Man, Controller of the Universe (formerly known as Man at the Crossroads) (1934)

Diego Rivera

Fresco

Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico

Alabama Tenant Farmer Wife (1936)

Walker Evans

Gelatin Silver Photo and Film Negative

20.3 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in) (size of photograph)

Library of Congress, Washington, DC, USA

Download - Social Realism Artworks

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