Between the Wars: American Prints of the 1920s-30s

In the wake of the social upheaval and economic chaos that followed the First World War, many American artists recoiled from the Paris-based modernist idioms that came to dominate the arts. Instead, they developed figurative styles that celebrate the multifaceted nature of American life. Some artists, such as Lozowick, and Geerlings, were inspired to discover geometric patterns and aerial views arising from the dynamic growth of the modern, electric city. Others shunned urban life altogether in favor of small towns and rustic farms in the American heartland, depicting a world that was rapidly disappearing and served as a nostalgic reminder of America’s agricultural origins. Known as American Regionalism, the movement  reached the peak of its popularity in 1936 at the height of the Great Depression, led primarily by the mid-western painters Benton, Wood, and Curry. Benton, in particular, became famous for dynamic public murals that symbolized the spirit of the nation and idealized the lives of common people.

Printmaking was a central activity for many Regionalist artists, as it could provide a steady income at a time when money was scarce; prints also provided the middle class with inexpensive opportunities to collect art. Experienced graphic artists like Wengenroth and Lewis published their own prints, while a number of innovative publishing enterprises were developed to bring original prints to new audiences. For example, the painters Benton, Wood, and DeMartelly were among those commissioned by Associated American Artists to produce limited-edition lithographs, sold to the public for five dollars each through mail-order catalogs and in department stores. In the New Deal era (1933–43), the federal Works Projects Administration commissioned unemployed artists to produce prints that were loaned or allocated in groups to schools, hospitals, and universities across the country. Many of these prints were made by talented artists who now are obscure, but, collectively, they capture individual views of American life at a time of great transformation.

 

Calvin Brown

Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings