“Mine Baseball”
Mervin Jules, 1937
Even during the midst of the Great Depression, baseball provided an outlet for Americans. Mineworkers, like mill workers before them, turned to baseball during leisure time.
Completed the same year as the publication of The Grapes of Wrath, this painting is an example of how art can be an outlet during times of hardship. Between 1934 and 1942, The New Deal programs created by President Roosevelt provided artists with financial support during this difficult time. The results were overwhelming as 10,000 artists contributed works including paintings, sculptures, prints, murals, photographs, and posters to the project. Like most of the New Deal artwork from this period, the focus of the Jules painting is “the American Scene.” Take a look at some other New Deal period paintings and think about what they say about America.
Even during the midst of the Great Depression, baseball provided an outlet for Americans. Mineworkers, like mill workers before them, turned to baseball during leisure time.
Completed the same year as the publication of The Grapes of Wrath, this painting is an example of how art can be an outlet during times of hardship. Between 1934 and 1942, The New Deal programs created by President Roosevelt provided artists with financial support during this difficult time. The results were overwhelming as 10,000 artists contributed works including paintings, sculptures, prints, murals, photographs, and posters to the project. Like most of the New Deal artwork from this period, the focus of the Jules painting is “the American Scene.” Take a look at some other New Deal period paintings and think about what they say about America.
