Hard Times: An artistic interpretation of America facing economic hardship

A misbegotten man is slumped along the curbside, dejected and alone. The passersby hurriedly stroll behind him, oblivious to his plight. He’s a castaway from an inhospitable world that is mired in economic struggles, a lonely and dejected figure who is a product of the time he faces. This Forgotten Man was painted by Maynard Dixon in 1934, yet he speaks so powerfully to us today.

There’s a portentous stillness hanging over America; the affluence that we thought would last forever has been replaced with apprehension, angst and fear.  According to Dr. Vern G. Swanson “Impending doom has cast an encroaching shadow upon the economic landscape and appears to be a harbinger for future want and depression.”(1)  As suddenly as a thief in the night, the best of times for the Great American Empire has turned into the worst of times, the hard times in which we now live.

In November of 2009, 15 selected artists will lay down their artistic visions as sorrowful practitioners in the Land of Plenty and display their works at the Thomas Kearns McCarthey Gallery.  These narrative works representing Hard Times in America are intended to bring the viewer closer to the malaise that grips our society, and are designed to speak to a generation abruptly thrust into an abyss of trepidation and uncertainty.

The unencumbered portrayals are the contributing artists’ responses to a world in turmoil, with intent to invoke understanding for the subjects they depict.  They are kindred in their resemblance to the works of The Regionalist Artists of The American Scene in the 1930’s including: Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, John Stuart Curry, Dorothea Lange, and Maynard Dixon, whose first -hand recollections and images of The Great Depression became bona fide emblems for future generations. It was through this movement that realities of life were explored using contemporary genre as inspiration, creating artistic expressions that were candid in their approach.

As a result, the artists of the Depression left behind some of the most poignant and memorable narratives in the history of American Art. The indelible images left by Dorothea Lange of impoverished mothers and children, migrant workers and homelessness were witnessed through her camera lens. These images remain etched in the mind and speak to the social consciousness of our own society. Likewise the artwork of Maynard Dixon left a legacy of paintings that invoke a similar response from the viewer.

Dixon lived and experienced the Hard Times and was no stranger to poverty. Many of his paintings of the 1930’s parallel the struggles of the Detroit layoffs,  home and business foreclosures, and the plight of the working class and the struggle in America today. Dixon stated: “The Depression woke me up to the fact that I had a part in all this, as an artist.” “Painting is a means to an end. It is my way of saying what I want you to comprehend. It is my testimony in regard to life and therefore I cannot lie in paint.” (2)  Dixon’s candid interpretation and uncompromising truths have created a timeless message for today’s audience.

In like manner, the exhibition of Hard Times will tell the story of our day in an extraordinary way.  Eugene Delacroix once said “A writer has to say almost everything in order to make himself understood, but in painting it is as if a mysterious bridge were set up between the spirit of the persons in the picture and the beholder.… but inwardly he meditates, the true thinking that is common to all men.”(3)

It is through this meditation that the viewer gains an introspective view, and these are metaphors that inculcate meaning without words. These are works of art that challenge the viewer to confront the uncertainties and issues of the here and now. They unveil harsh realities of today’s existence, exposing the doubt and vulnerability that many in this nation feel.  It is through this process that the viewer gains a sense of recognition for humanity and feels the burden of his brother.  

Hard Times is scheduled to open November 16, 2009 at the Thomas Kearns McCarthey Gallery in Park  City, Utah. The exhibition will be sponsored by Jim Dabakis, coordinated by Kai Bolger and curated by Traci Fieldsted.  After concluding its run in Park City on December 15, 2009, the exhibition will travel to various venues across the country. Participating artists will Include Sean T. Diediker, Jeffrey R. Hein. Brian Kershisnik, Ben McPherson, Trevor Southey, Burton Silverman, Gary Ernest Smith and Justin Taylor.

^{1. From an unpublished interview  with Dr. Vern G. Swanson,  July 10, 2009
2. Donald J. Haggerty Desert Dreams:  the Art and Life of Maynard Dixon (Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith publisher, 1998), p.206
3. Juliette Aristides Classical drawing Atelier (New York: Watson-Guptill publications, 2006), p.105}

Hard Times: An Artist’s View
Exhibition Review by Philipp Malzl, Ph.D.

An intriguing tension begins to grow from the moment spectators first approach the art in the recent exhibition Hard Times. In this particular setting, two thoroughly disparate worlds collide. One the one hand we find material affluence, while on the other, nothing but emotional and temporal destitution. The vehicle of visual art, in the meanwhile, performs the function of an anything-but-neutral mediator, facilitating the curious juxtaposition of such ironically contrasting versions of “reality.” It is precisely this juxtaposition which adds numerous layers of meaning to the otherwise rather transparent premise of the exhibition. The strident collision of societal spheres in the fine arts is, of course, not unique to America’s present “hard times” but hearkens back to historical precedents even before the original depression of the 1930s. This phenomenon originated within the tumultuous environment of the industrial revolution of mid-nineteenth century France and England. At that time, a number of audacious Social Realist painters, including Honoré Daumier, Jean-François Millet, Thomas Faed, Ford Madox Brown and, above all, Gustave Courbet,confronted the middle and upper class in unabashed fashion with the economic struggles experienced by those less fortunate: the stone breakers, gleaners and emigrants. It is remarkable that these very types of subjects have once again been infused with absolute relevance in our present day.  In terms of subject matter, Gary Ernest Smith, Justin Taylor, David Linn and Harvey Dinnerstein present us with images that relate very directly to the “hard times” America faces today, whereas the remaining artists portray types of people and situations which are equally palpable, yet not necessarily specific to our present economic crisis: the transient; the homeless; the drunkard, and the ever-present manual laborer. Such subjects have shadowed modern society from the outset and have found their way into art exhibitions for decades.