The Research Of American Regionalism Art Movement In The 1930s-40s

This paper studies the American Regionalism Art Movement.Led by Thomas Hart Benton,Grant Wood and John Steuart Curry,an American localized art movement full of romantic,nostalgic and partial artistic styles was created during the Regionalism Art Movement.These most popular painters in the United States during the Great Depression rejected the influence of European Modernism Art and chose to go to the rural areas of the Midwest of the United States to create realistic works,which emphasizes a simple reality.Compared with the depressing pictures of the small town of Charles Ephraim Birchfield and the urban environment of Edward Hopper,they processed a strong sense of optimism and nostalgia.This paper uses the methods of literature research,comparative research,sociology,iconology and other traditional art theory research methods comprehensively to analyze the consensus and historical problems of American regionalism art from the perspective of art history.In addition to the introduction and conclusion,this paper outlines the reality of the American Regionalism Art Movement from five parts: the background of the times,the evolution process,the painters,the decline and variation and the historical influence of the American regionalism art movement.The first chapter describes the background of the times,focusing on the construction of cultural criticism context after World War I such as Peyton Boswell,Thomas Craven,Lewis Mumford and John Dewey and their influence on Regionalism.It is found that in addition to the direct effect of the economic stimulus of the great depression and the art plan of Roosevelt's new deal,these cultural thoughts play an important role and significance in the direction and appearance of painting art creation in the 1930 s.The second chapter describes the evolution process of regionalism art movement.This chapter analyzes the experiences of Grant Wood,Thomas Hart Benton and John Steuart Curry.It is found that they have common artistic experience and growth background.They are committed to fighting the influence of European avant-garde art and traditional elegant art.In the era when foreign art forms dominate,they explore the localized modern art.Finally,they created the highest achievement of American regionalism art that reflects the real life of their region and has an independent artistic language.The third chapter,in addition to the case study of the “Regionalist Triumvirate”,it also arranges the group images of regionalism painters,and finds that regionalism art is widely spread,including the works of artists from all over the United States.The fourth chapter analyzes the sense of development of regionalism art,and analyzes its decline and extension from the perspective of art history,which makes the positioning of American regionalism art in American art history more clear.The fifth chapter analyzes the historical influence of the Regionalism art movement from three aspects,which are the influence of American regionalism art movement on the establishment of American local modern discourse,the influence on Abstract expressionism Painting and the enlightenment to the development of art in the world.By combing the relevant historical facts of the American regionalism art movement from 1930 s to 1940 s,it is found that American regionalism art is criticized for being conservative because it rejects the Paris aesthetics of international modernism.However,the value orientation of local art represented by American regionalism art has a profound spirit of independent exploration,which is worthy of further study.