Realism in the United States took a hard look at the nation's political and social conditions.
c. 1930 - 1945
videos + essays
We're adding new content all the time!
Eldzier Cortor, Southern Landscape
A dream-like flooded landscape—does is suggest bleakness or hope?
Archibald John Motley Jr., Nightlife
Motley focuses on Black subjects in elegant portraits that conveyed power and self-agency during World War II
Hale Woodruff, The Banjo Player
Woodruff reimagines racist tropes of Black banjo players with a figure who is confident and joyful
Vertis Hayes, Juke Joint
This swaying juke joint belies its purpose as a central meeting place enlivened by music and dance in many African American communities.
Vertis Hayes, The Lynchers
A horrifying painting of racial violence that can help us see where we are and where we need to be in terms of tolerance and empathy
Josiah McElheny on Horace Pippin
Contemporary artist discusses Horace Pippin as a so-called "outsider" artist and the importance of his perspective into every-day American life
Ben Shahn, Miners’ Wives
An explosion in a mine kills 111, Shahn captures the devastation of those left behind.
Reginald Marsh, Wooden Horses
According to the artist (Reginald Marsh), at Coney Island, “The best show is the people themselves.”
Romare Bearden, Factory Workers
During World War II, racism flourished the United States even as the war effort sought to bring people together.
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