"One Third of a Nation"

1939

Not on view

The title of this work references President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1937 inaugural address, in which he proclaimed, "I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished." One Third of a Nation is also the title of Arthur Arent’s 1938 play, which emphasized the plight of the poor and was funded by the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project. In this painting Guglielmi draws attention to the horrid living conditions during the Great Depression. The forms in the foreground resemble coffins and subsequently suggest a similar reading of the brick tenements behind them. The floral wreath adorning the building’s cornice reinforces this metaphor.

Artwork Details

Title: "One Third of a Nation"
Artist: O. Louis Guglielmi (American (born Egypt), Cairo 1906–1956 Amagansett, New York)
Date: 1939
Medium: Oil and tempera on Masonite
Dimensions: 30 × 24 in. (76.2 × 61 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of New York City W. P. A., 1943
Object Number: 43.47.10
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

By O. Louis Guglielmi

In the same medium

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Droll Gambit at Coney, O. Louis Guglielmi American, born Egypt, Oil on canvas — Droll Gambit at Coney
O. Louis Guglielmi
1949

The Church of St. Vincent de Paul, O. Louis Guglielmi American, born Egypt, Oil on canvas — The Church of St. Vincent de Paul
O. Louis Guglielmi
1930

Untitled (Barn and Trees) (recto); Tree and Stream (verso), O. Louis Guglielmi American, born Egypt, Oil on Masonite — Untitled (Barn and Trees) (recto); Tree and Stream (verso)
O. Louis Guglielmi
1934

Nocturne (The General Motors Building at Columbus Circle), O. Louis Guglielmi American, born Egypt, Oil on canvas — Nocturne (The General Motors Building at Columbus Circle)
O. Louis Guglielmi
1931

Let My People Go, Aaron Douglas American, Oil on Masonite — Let My People Go
Aaron Douglas
ca. 1935–39

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