There is a new exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts: “America after the Fall, painting in the 1930s”, showing how artists responded to the american social and economic changes in the 1930s. This is a great opportunity to see some paintings and artists we can rarely admire. I was very pleased to see how well designed and organized this event was, with focuses on several aspects of these important changes in the 1930s. Let me present you the paintings that I found particularly moving.

A transformative and creative period

The crash of Wall Street had many consequences in terms of urbanisation, industrialisation, immigration. And artistically speaking, the context gave birth to some of the most powerful paintings, where artists tried to define the true America (the “Americanness”) through portraits of people living in cities or in the country, the modernisation of life compared to traditions…
In this field, Edward Hopper is one of my favorite american painters as he knows perfectly how to depict a society. His figurative style, associated with a poetic and nostalgic tone, as well as a dramatic use of light, produces captivating artworks. Look at this painting, describing an urban scene with a solitary figure.

Another great artist I discovered lately at the Tate Modern is Georgia O’Keeffe, whose painting “Cow’s Skull with Calico Roses” is quite impressive. A mix of anxious sadness with the beauty and softness of flowers.

Here is an artist I did not know before: Alice Neel. She was known as one of America’s great portrait painters. She also had a strong conscience and painted many people sharing her left-wing political inclination, such as this portrait of the Irish-American union leader and Communist party member Pat Whalen.

Now I will present an iconic painter, who depicted the rural populations with an acute sense of observation: Grant Wood. The realism of his characters or landscapes really troubles me. Look at the expressions of these two figures in this very well-known painting…

Grant Wood, as a leading figure in the regionalist movement, painted many rural scenes with much realism and adopted a recognizable style. I particularly found the painting called “Young Corn” impressive: there is  such a naturalistic rendering of the perspectives and of the various depth in the rolling landscape.

1930s mark also the rise of a new movement in painting: abstraction. In this field, Jackson Pollock is very famous and you will discover one of his paintings in this event. But there are also  other very interesting painters. Like George LK Morris with “Indian Composition No6, 1938”, or Ilya Bolotowsky with her “Study for the Hall of Medical Sciences Mural”.

Go to the Royal Academy of Arts to discover great artists who have painted the american society during a complex period. You will also take pleasure in discovering the Burlington House and its story…

The Royal Academy of Arts

I really looked deeply at the Royal Academy of Arts website this time, and found very interesting facts about this Academy, which was created in 1768.
The Royal Academy focuses on promoting Art, like any other Museums, but moreover it aims at developing the practice of it. This is apparently the specific role of an Academy compared to museums.
I then discovered that the Royal Academy of Arts is led by many  of the greatest artists and architects (still alive), who play a role in the life of the Academy by teaching to students or influencing the exhibitions programme.
Another important news is the forthcoming 250th anniversary  of the Academy in 2018. To celebrate this major anniversary, major improvements will be made to display the Academy amazing Art collection and enhance Art Education. I can’t wait to see the new buildings!
Here is a short video presenting the history of the Royal Academy of Arts.

To find out more :
The Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD
“America after the Fall” introduction video by the RAA.
“Edward Hopper in 60 seconds” video by the RAA.