Résumé

"Lithuanian-born artist Ben Shahn learned fresco painting as an assistant to Diego Rivera in the 1930s and created his own visually powerful, technically sophisticated, and stylistically innovative artworks as part of the New Deal Arts Project's national mural program. In "Ben Shahn's New Deal Murals: Jewish Identity in the American Scene" author Diana L. Linden demonstrates that Shahn mined his Jewish heritage and left-leaning politics for his style and subject matter, offering insight into his murals' creation and their sometimes complicated reception by officials, the public, and the press."--Publisher's website.
Plan : Introduction -- Ben Shahn's New York and the Great Depression: racial tensions and artistic strivings -- Zion in the Garden State: Ben Shahn's mural for Jersey Homesteads -- Whitman, workers, and censorship: Ben Shahn's murals for the Bronx Central Post Office -- Painting for freedom and the freedom to paint: Ben Shahn's murals for St. Louis and Queens -- Conclusion.