Art:Depression Era Art:

The Illinois State Museum's Fine Arts Collection has many works created by Illinois artists as part of the New Deal art projects during the 1930s and 1940s. Hundreds of Illinois men and women participated in these projects and left a legacy of work that documents a period of Illinois art history.

Sixteen of these works are explored in this module as they relate to the ideas of

The American Scene - nostalgic and emotional views of Illinois farms and towns
Social Realism - artists' statements on political and social issues
The American Worker - images depicting hardworking Americans
Modern Sensibility - examples of artists' works in styles of Modern Art
Stolen Moments - images showing precious private minutes of calm during a stressful period.

The Great Depression of the 1930s was a difficult time in the United States as Americans lost jobs, homes, businesses, and hope. President Franklin D. Roosevelt offered Americans a federal plan later known as The New Deal, which included the Works Progress Administration (WPA). One of the WPA projects, The Federal Art Project (FAP) paid artists to produce thousands of works of art including easel paintings, sculpture, murals, graphic art, and applied arts.