Erosion No. 2: Mother Earth Laid Bare by Alexandre Hogue, 1938.From the murals funded by the Works P
Erosion No. 2: Mother Earth Laid Bare by Alexandre Hogue, 1938.From the murals funded by the Works Progressive Administration to John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, the artistic output of the Great Depression generally depicted Dust Bowl farmers as victims of an environment and an economy turned savage.Alexandre Hogue insisted on a different narrative: the recklessness of human agriculture, enhanced by mechanization, funded by capitalism, had raped the essence of the land.His paintings show no sympathy for the refugees moving to California or the families that stayed behind, living on New Deal welfare. For desecrating the sacred earth, they deserved the revenge nature was inflicting upon them.Scientific discoveries in land reclamation and the development of new farming methods, funded by the Roosevelt Administration, partially restored harmony to the ecosystem. However, many homesteaders remained reluctant to accept the reforms. The government had to pay a dollar per acre to early adopters to encourage compliance.As humanity stumbles into a warming climate, a new Dust Bowl, I suspect more artists will adopt Hogue’s point of view this time. It feels like we have forsaken the privilege of sympathy. -- source link
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