Great Depression and Depression

¶ … Huffington Post Attn: Adrian Johnson 770 Broadway Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, In response to the recent article, Review of Abstract Expressionism, about the failures of Abstract Expressionism, it is important to remember the how American art during the 1930s embodied democratic values. In the 1930s, America was experiencing a depression that is commonly known as the Great Depression. This period was characterized by significant economic difficulties and collapse that culminated in a war.

While the country was renowned as a land of opportunity and hope during this period, the Great Depression changed people's perception regarding the United States since it became a nation of despair and depression. Given the underlying economic situation in this period, artwork and the field of art in general was seemingly irrelevant as many artists were experiencing tremendous economic challenges and remained unemployed (Hittner, n.d.). However, the series of social liberal recovery programs initiated by President Francis D.

Roosevelt known as the New Deal not only helped in transforming the American society in the midst of the depression but also played a crucial role in shaping American art. As a result of these changes, American artists started to create works that reflected and represented American values and society. As artists were paid to create these works, their images and paintings represented the realities of the Great Depression period.

Apart from representing the ideals of the Great Depression period, American art in the 1930s personified the country's democratic values through embracing political and social change that was taking place. Abstract Expressionism during the 1930s was a defining and influential art movement that lasted for a few years and is regarded as the country's first original form of art (Fisher, n.d.). This form of art embodied America's democratic values through incorporating political implications in artists' expressions of their ideas and thoughts.

Artists during this period viewed art as a process that portrayed life and a means for developing new values that would enlighten people on the issue of pure truth (Fisher, n.d.). Pure truth was an issue that surpassed politics and ordinary experiences to capture the most important things in the society. In this case, American artwork, through Abstract Expressionism in the 1930s, entailed portraying the spiritual, moral, and relational issues that were necessarily to the wellbeing of the American society.

One of the major examples of artworks that embodied America's democratic values in the 1930s was Building a Nation (Construction), which was created by Leon Bibel in 1937. Bibel arrived in New York City from San Francisco where he was born during the Depression era and was an active participant in Works Progress Administration, a federal art project. Bibel developed the painting after a period of hardships both political and economically. The economic hardships for artists were brought by the economic collapse emerging from the Great Depression.

On the contrary, artists experienced political hardships during the politically repressive period by Mccarthy. Building a Nation (Construction) reflected the freedom of expression that was available to American artists during the 1930s by focusing on celebrating the value and accomplishments of the common man. In this case, Bibel used bold and highly politicized subject to express himself and reflect the social and political changes that characterized America in the aftermath of the Great Depression.

This artwork was a tool of social reform since the objectives of Bibel in creating it was to celebrate the values and accomplishments of ordinary men during this period. Building a Nation (Construction) was inspired by the political and social changes initiated by President Roosevelt towards the development of the American society through using the skills of artists for societal benefit. The second example of an influential American artwork in the 1930s that embodied democratic values is America Today, which was created by Thomas Hart Benton in 1931.

The artwork was created to depict the state of rural and urban life in the United States on the eve of the Great Depression. This painting embodied America's democratic values during this period through highlighting social values and race relations as well as commemorating themes of progress, industry, and urban life that were emerging. The artwork was a tool of social reform since Benton powerfully promotes the notion of progress, which was a crucial element in Abstract Expressionism. In essence,.