Social Realism was an art movement that began in the 1930s in America and depicted the hardships of life such as economic problems and racial injustices. Major American artists of the movement included Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Ben Shahn, and Thomas Hart Benton. Lange and Evans became famous during the Great Depression for their photographs documenting the difficulties people faced. While the movement declined after the 1950s, elements of Social Realism can still be seen in some contemporary films and art.

1. Social Realism

2. What Is Social Realism?
• Art movement which kicked off in America in the 1930’s.
• Depicted the hardships of life.
▫ i.e. racial injustices, economic problems, working conditions.
▫ In paintings, satire was often used.
• Existed largely in America, Britain, France, and the Soviet
Union.
• Originated as early as the 1850’s in Europe, and slowly
made its way to America.
• While the movement declined over the years, the
movement officially “died” when the Soviet Union fell in
1991.

3. Influences of Social Realism
• Social Realism was most heavily influenced by
the Regionalism art movement.
• Gustave Courbet is also credited as being one of
the biggest influences of Social Realism.

4. Major Artists of the American Movement
• Dorothea Lange
• Walker Evans
• Ben Shahn
• Thomas Hart Benton

5. Dorothea Lange
• Became a big artist during
the Great Depression.
• Photographer
• Didn’t generally name her art
pieces.
• Assigned to go around the
country and take pictures of
the hardships of life.

6. Migrant Mother

7. Yuba County,
California

8. Arizona
Highway 87

9. Walker Evans
• Like Lange, he became very big
during the Great Depression.
• Also like Lange, he was a
photographer.
• He had a lot of assignments
during the Great Depression to
take specific photos of areas or
events.

10. Allie Mae Burroughs
Portrait

11. Frame House

12. Ben Shahn
• Didn’t have a single art style
he liked best. He did
photography, drawing, and
painting.
• Expressed his political views
through his art.
• Very big on creating pieces
that showed racial injustices.

13. Public Sale

14. Cotton Pickers,
Arkansas

15. Thomas Hart Benton
• American Painter.
• Encouraged by his father
to go into law.
• He was the first artist ever
to be on the cover of Time
Magazine.
• Later in his life, he
became a teacher at the
Kansas City Art Institute.

16. Plowing it
Under

17. Hollywood

18. Fisherman
at Sunset

19. In Today’s Culture
• Even though Social Realism is considered a dead
movement, films are still being released that can
be considered Social Realism, although this is
mostly in Britain.
• Some artists are saying that the movement is
being reborn, in the form of Contemporary
Social Realism.
• A lot of the original pieces from this movement
are parodied in popular culture today.

20. American Gothic