Art Research Paper Essay Research Paper Art

Art Research Paper Essay, Research Paper

Art is a very big part of our lives today. Some people do not realize how often they are exposed to art. For example, teenagers go watch movies almost every weekend. Some of them, however, do not think about movies as being art. Art includes everything from movies to paintings to Broadway musicals. Therefore, art has been an important part of people?s lifestyle for many years. There were many artists during the Great Depression. Many artists, from the Great Depression era, are still remembered today for their work during that period of time. One of these artists was Grant Wood, an American painter best known for his work depicting the scenes and the people of Iowa.

Grant Wood was born on February 13,1891. His Quaker parents raised him on a small farm near Anamosa, Iowa. They lived there for several years. Grant liked art even when he lived on the farm at Anamosa, but everyone thought that he would grow up to be a farmer. When Grant was ten years old, his father died. Grant?s mother knew she could not care for the farm by herself. As a result, Grant?s mother moved him, his two brothers, and his sister to Cedar Rapids. Grant lived most of his teenage years in this city. While he was there, Grant worked odd jobs after school to help support his mother and sister. While he was in high school, he worked on several art projects. These projects included designing scenery for school plays and drawing pictures for the yearbook. After he graduated in 1910, he taught art, made jewelry, took art classes, learned carpentry, decorated houses, and cared for his mother and sister.

After high school, he enrolled at the Minneapolis School of Design and Handicraft. He studied with the leader of the arts and crafts movement in America, Ernest Batchelder. He taught Grant many things he needed to know about art. He also studied at the Chicago School of Art Institute. In 1918 Grant Wood served his country in World War I painting camouflage on tanks and cannons. In 1920 Grant took his first trip to Paris. He took another trip to Paris in 1923. On this second trip, Wood studied at the Academy Julian for approximately a year. He returned to Paris again in 1926 and in 1928. His trip in 1928 was his last trip to Paris. It has been said that his last trip to Paris was a turning point in his career.

In 1934 Grant married Sara Maxon, a former opera singer from Cedar Rapids. In the late thirties, Sara and Grant ended their relationship in a divorce. Fortunately, they did not have any children. Along with the trouble in their relationship, came the problems of being an artist during the Great Depression. Singing and painting was not considered work. The artists had a very hard time during the Depression. Wood did not get to finish his final painting because he was diagnosed with cancer. Wood died on February 12, 1942, one day before his fifty-first birthday. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Anamosa, Iowa.

The Great Depression was a very difficult time for artists. During the Depression, the Works Progress Administration supplied work and income for artists that were struggling to make a living. Even though the WPA had drawbacks, it was better than what they had before. In spite of the fact the wages were low, the people felt fortunate to get a job on a WPA project because it was better than being on relief. The families in some poor Southern states were only averaging about ten dollars per month. At least by working on one of the WPA projects, the people could gain a little bit of self-respect. Since they were not getting direct relief, this built the morale of the people. The WPA added to the common wealth of the American people. The WPA was very popular because of its attempt to provide support for the arts. In the mid 1930?s, the WPA created a wonderful program, which supported the arts, Federal One. This was a small portion of the WPA funds for an experiment in providing federal support for the arts in America. Franklin Roosevelt believed that fine music, art, and theatre were essential to a good life. He wanted to make this culture available to all people.

The 1935 relief money was provided to help unemployed professionals. The WPA set up four programs under Federal One: the Federal Art Project, the Federal Music Project, the Federal Theater Project, and the Federal Writers? Project. Harry Hopkins was one of the people who thought that it was foolish to put a concert violinist or a Shakespearean actor to work laying bricks. Later, Hopkins and others with the WPA realized that this program provided more than just suitable relief work for artistic or educated Depression victims. They saw that it was a great way to combine high culture with American Democracy. This relationship between culture and democracy had been troubling some Americans for quite some time. The arts were often distanced from ordinary people. They wanted to bring art to all people; but were afraid that if they did, that art would lose some of its value. They thought that federal patronage of the arts could be a possible solution for this problem. The Depression left many artists with nowhere to turn but Washington. Total dependence on federal financing in all aspects was not good. First, they had to win the public?s support for the idea. It was hard to convince many people that singing and acting was work. Public support for the federal arts projects gave