Artist's Life, no. 1
In a series of three prints Hughie Lee-Smith mused about the role of the artist in American society during the Depression (see also MMA 1999.529.111). Should one stay in the studio creating lofty works of art and teaching, as the artist at the bottom of this compostion does? Or should one join the ranks of those activists confronting the economic and political issues of the day, as the textile worker (right) and union picketer (at top) suggest? For Lee-Smith, the answer was a combined "yes": "The late 1930s…found me employed on the Ohio WPA Art Project, working mainly in lithography. The artworks produced there derived their inspiration directly from my involvement in union activity and workers' demonstrations, as well as my role as an art instructor to disadvantaged youngsters at the [WPA's] Karamu House [in Cleveland]." Rendered in a Social Realist style the Artist's Life prints wed content and form to successfully convey their message.
Artwork Details
- Title: Artist's Life, no. 1
- Artist: Hughie Lee-Smith (American, Eustis, Florida 1915–1999 Albuquerque, New Mexico)
- Date: 1939
- Medium: Lithograph
- Dimensions: 12 15/16 × 10 1/16 in. (32.9 × 25.5 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Reba and Dave Williams, 1999
- Object Number: 1999.529.112
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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Hughie Lee-Smith
1939
Hughie Lee-Smith
WPA
1935–43
Hughie Lee-Smith
1994
Silence = Death Project
1987
John Wilson
1951
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