Thursday, October 18, 2012

Progressive Posters



The Great Depression was a very difficult period for many, and affected a large number of American artists
 and graphic designers due to the lack of commercial work. In 1935 the US federal government
 created the Works Progress Administration (WPA) with the aim to provide job opportunities
for the unemployed as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal
The fall of the same year saw the launch of the WPA Federal Arts Project, which enabled visual artists, 
musicians, actors and writers to support themselves and pursue their professional careers. 


A poster project was included, and around 2,000 silkscreen, lithograph and woodcut posters were commissioned 
to promote health and safety, cultural events, travel and tourism, educational programs and community activities. 
The posters were produced across the nation, with the greatest output in California, New York, 
Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.


Two posters by Louise Welsh


Two posters by Carken

In many cases, the flat color of silkscreen combined with influences from the European avant-gardes
to produce strikingly graphic, bold Modernist designs that contrasted with the realistic illustrative style
 prevalent in most American graphic communication of the time.

Mildred Waltrip

Sidney Jacobson

Frank W. Long


Two posters by Hugh Stevenson

Robert Munchley

Arlington Gregg 

Frank S. Nicholson

Sidney Jacobson

J. Hirt

All of these posters were created between 1935 and 1939, when the Federal Arts Project was discontinued.
Fortunately, this great art series has recently been rediscovered and appreciated by many artists and designers. 
And wouldn't it be great if governments could also be inspired to provide a similar opportunity
 to survive and thrive in a time of crisis to the young talents of today? 

5 comments:

  1. The blue elephant is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I mostly hate zoos, but the posters are beautiful… warm greetings from Paris (where the zoo is very sad)!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice posters for the zoo. I think they will have a great impact to the community which I know will be a huge positive for the whole cause. But all in all they need to have the right amount of guard from different outside influence.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for your comments

    Swig, I agree on Zoos... and on posters!

    ReplyDelete

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