By Carolyn Lebo
Wall paintings have become very popular all over the world! Mural paintings, as we call them, are being used inside and outside of many buildings in America today. Some people even have murals painted in their homes. Maybe you have one in your own bedroom!
Mural painting began in the United States during the Great Depression in 1933. It was to be “the answer” to one of the many big problems facing the nation - and what a beautiful way to solve a very sad situation! People everywhere were out of work and in extreme poverty. George Biddles, one of President Roosevelt’s classmates when he was at Harvard, felt strongly that the artists in America needed to have work to do. He was inspired by the wall paintings done by Mexican artists Diego Rivera, Jose Orozco, and David Siqueriros, so he convinced Roosevelt that “mural painting” would not only be a good “back to work” project for artists, but also it would lift the spirits of the American people. Art would be placed where everyone could see and enjoy it!
Roosevelt included the Federal Art Project (FAP) as one of the divisions of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This was all a part of President Roosevelt’s “New Deal” when he came into office during the Great Depression. The FAP provided employment for artists on relief, which operated under the Treasury Department, creating over 5,000 jobs for them and producing over 225,000 works of art for the nation’s people.
President Roosevelt wanted people to use their professional skills and to share their work with others. He wanted the writers to describe this important time in history, musicians to stir the souls of the people, and artists to paint murals illustrating American history and the lives of the people. In this way, their works would keep the American culture alive. Roosevelt felt that retaining the culture of a nation was important to the spirit of America!
Paintings and sculptures were erected in all new federal buildings that were constructed from 1934-1940 by these WPA artists. The murals that were painted in most of the post offices in towns and cities all across the country were by these artists. The number of commissions awarded to each state depended on the size of that state. New York, Illinois and Texas received large numbers of murals and other WPA artwork. The artists were divided into “regions,” and they would submit sketches of mural ideas to the regional competition. Artists that were not selected for major art projects were given smaller project assignments. The money that they earned had to cover all their expenses, including travel and materials. Most of them were awarded $500-$800, depending on the size of the artwork.
Illinois is fortunate that the art in 70 of their buildings still exists today, and many murals have been restored to perfection. “Baseball” by George Avision is just one of the many on exhibit in the Norwalk Transit Collection. Many Depression murals in California are located in the Coit Tower in San Francisco. This is one tourist attraction that is often missed - one of the most exciting! The murals that decorate the lobby are some of the finest examples of Depression-Era public art. They were done in a style very similar to the social realism of Diego Rivera, portraying the daily life of the working people of California in the 1930’s.
If you type your state’s name (or any state) into an internet search engine (Google, Yahoo), including “WPA mural paintings of the Depression Era,” you will find many examples of murals. Some websites may also allow you to click on a mural photo to enlarge it or tell you the artist name and the history of the mural. You can do this for many cities too! If you live in a city or near one, try to find out where these mural paintings are located and then go to see them. If you learn the name of the artist who painted them, see how much you can learn about his other paintings and about him. It’s a perfect homeschool project! My children discovered that WPA artists created the large lion statues on the bridge they went over every day!
The WPA murals and sculptures are the legacy of thousands of people who worked very hard for little money. They took great pride in their craft and left us with much to enjoy today. These artists remind us of another time in our country’s history - a time when American dreams were not allowed to be destroyed by a disaster.
Carolyn has over 30 years of teaching experience in public, private, and homeschools, instructing grades K-12 and college. She received her BS degree in art education from Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia and completed graduate studies at California Lutheran University, University of Phoenix, and University of California, Santa Barbara. She received the Los Angeles Music Center’s prestigious Bravo Award for being one of the top ten art teachers in California in 1996. She and her husband own Art Video Productions, where she continues to introduce the great art masters and teach art lessons to children on video. She frequently is a presenter at homeschool conference and seminars.
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