Early Modern Era

 Influence of the Great Depression

During the Early Modern era, the Great Depression was a prime example of failure. The financial crisis began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and led to the loss of millions of investors. As a result of the sudden collapse of the economy, many Americans had lost faith in the "American Dream." New forms of artistic style were introduced and flourished during this time throughout the United States, giving the Great Depression its own image. Art during the Early Modern era served a different purpose than all its predecessors. During this period, art served more as a distraction and a call to action than as aesthetic wonders. The arts, including theatre, music, political cartoons, and all forms of 2D art, served as constant reminders of the state of the world and were attempts to regain joy and hope. There was no economic downturn as steep and as long as the Great Depression of the 1930s in the history of Western industrialized countries. Most of the country’s banks were failing and consumer spending had decreased drastically and the unemployment rates were increasing drastically. Many people during this era were using art as a way to break away from the Great Depression. 

Edward Hopper, Automat, New York City, NY 1927’

The first painting from the Early Modern Era that I chose is Automat by one famous realist painter Edward Hopper. This painting was painted in 1927 in New York. This painting portrays a lone woman staring into her coffee cup during a late night. You can see the reflection of the identical rows of light fixtures in the window behind her. This painting was done in 1927, two years before the start of the Great Depression, except I personally feel like this gloomy sad darkened painting can be paralleled with the Great Depression. This oil painting’s use of color and geometric structure depicts the loneliness and despair of this woman. Automat is an oil painting that depicts the loneliness and despair of the woman, because of that we can connect it to the Great Depression because the Great Depression was a sad lonely time for many people. This oil painting is 2’4” x 3’0” and is located in Des Moines Art Center. I like this painting because when you first look at it all you see is a girl sitting alone, but when you look closer you can see all the different lines used in this painting to create depth and make the room look bigger. The different shapes to create the light fixtures, the window, and the chairs are all painted to make it look realistic. This painting is soft and dark at the same time, at first glance you see a woman sitting alone, if you look at it longer and you notice the darkness. Edward Hopper used different elements like color contrast, lighting, and shading to show the realism of the painting. I personally find this painting beautiful and memorizing and If I had the chance I would own this. 

Millard Sheets, Abandoned, California 1933

The second painting I chose from the Early Modern Era is Abandoned painted by Millard Sheets. This painting depicts a farm that looks abandoned and run down. This is caused by the economic crisis of the Great Depression. Millard Sheets uses abstract style to depict the Great Depression in his art. This painting used small tiny quick brushstrokes to create a polished-looking finish. I personally like the contrast in color between the horses and the remaining picture. My eyes were drawn to the horses at first and then to the rest of the painting. We can connect the Great Depression to this painting from the uncontrollable forces of nature being depicted in this painting. This painting of an abandoned farm is to symbolizes the Great Depression. When I look at this painting I see a gloomy chaos mess with horses running wild because they were abandoned by their owner. If you think about it, it's a little sad to think about how their owner had to abandon their farm and their horses because of the Great Depression's financial and economic impact. I think this is a beautiful painting that depicts the emotions and story of the Great Depression but I don't this I would own this painting because it is also connected with realist and that is not my favorite art style to own. 

Dorothea Lange, Human Erosion in California (Migrant Mother), March 1936

The final piece of work I chose to use was a photograph. This photograph was taken by Dorthea Lange during the Great Depression. It was first viewed by the public during its publication on March 11, 1936 (Google Art & Culture). Its physical dimensions are 34.1 x 26.8 cm. I chose this photograph for a couple different reasons, the first being that this is a photograph and not a painting or sculpture that is connected to the Great Depression. It's titled Migrant Mother which makes me think that this mom could have moved around constantly during the Great Depression. Looking at the mother we see different emotions, we can look at her face and see she is most likely stressed, anxious, and worried about her children and herself. This photograph is connected to the Great Depression and Early Modern Era because of the emotions depicted in this painting. I think this is a beautiful photograph to show the emotions of people from the Great Depression but I wouldn't own this photograph because I don’t like hanging photos unless they are of family members.  

• 
  

“" Millard Sheets: The Early Years.” RSS, http://art-for-a-change.com/blog/2010/02/millard-sheets-the-early-years.html.

“Automat by Edward Hopper - Facts & History of the Painting.” Totally History, 23 July 2013, https://totallyhistory.com/automat/.

History.com Editors. “Great Depression History.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/great-depression-history.

“Human Erosion in California (Migrant Mother) - Dorothea Lange - Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/human-erosion-in-california-migrant-mother-dorothea-lange/jQF1efTByECCoQ?hl=en.