The Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro presents Telling Tales: Narratives from the 1930s, an exhibition on view Feb 25, 2012 – May 13, 2012.
Edmund Lewandowski, “Factories”, 1936, watercolor on paper, 18 1/4 x 23in. Courtesy of the Fine Arts Program, Public Buildings Service, U.S.General Services Administration Commissioned through the New Dealartprojects.
Artists of all periods have used narrative imagery to teach, enlighten, and/or inspire viewers. Derived in the past from literature, Biblical scripture, mythology, or history, narrative art created during the 1930s continued to record these themes as well as the dramatic economic, social, and political changes that were taking place across the nation. Artists who advocated both representational and abstract styles attempted to capture the spirit of their age—a time marked by the bleak reality of the Great Depression as well as the uplifting optimism linked with the machine age and its promise of progress. While works by Social Realist and Regionalist artists—the art market’s dominant styles at the time—abound, images by other artists whose concerns were more psychologically penetrating are also included.
The exhibition is organized by Elaine D. Gustafson, Curator of Collections.
Weatherspoon Art Museum Greensboro, NC
336-334-5770
[email protected]
www.weatherspoon.uncg.edu
