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OverviewThe paintings, murals, and graphics of Ben Shahn (1898-1969) have made him one of the most heralded American artists of the twentieth century, but during the 1930s he was also among the nation's premier photographers. Much of his photographic work was sponsored by the New Deal's Farm Security Administration, where his colleagues included Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans. Ben Shahn's American Scene: Photographs, 1938 presents one hundred superb photographs from his most ambitious FSA project, a survey of small-town life in the Depression. John Raeburn's accompanying text illuminates the thematic and formal significance of individual photographs and reveals how, taken together, they address key cultural and political issues of the years leading up to World War II. Shahn's photographs highlight conflicts between traditional values and the newer ones introduced by modernity as represented by the movies, chain stores, and the tantalizing allure of consumer goods, and they are particularly rich in observation about the changes brought about by Americans' universal reliance on the automobile. They also explore the small town's standing as the nation's symbol of democratic community and expose the discriminatory social and racial practices that subverted this ideal in 1930s America. Full Product DetailsAuthor: John Raeburn , Ben ShahnPublisher: University of Illinois Press Imprint: University of Illinois Press Dimensions: Width: 25.40cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 21.60cm Weight: 0.626kg ISBN: 9780252077159ISBN 10: 0252077156 Pages: 208 Publication Date: 04 May 2010 Audience: General/trade , General Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: To order Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us. Table of ContentsReviewsWith clarity and grace, John Raeburn analyzes Shahn's lesser-known work as a photographer and adds an important dimension to our understanding of 1930s photography and culture. Miles Orvell, author of John Vachon's America: Photographs and Letters from the Depression to World War II Adroitly analyzing the complex visual dynamics in Ben Shahn's photography of small Ohio towns, Raeburn offers a useful and compelling reading of an important but neglected group of images. Cara Finnegan, author of Picturing Poverty: Print Culture and FSA Photographs Author InformationJohn Raeburn is a professor of American studies and English at the University of Iowa. He is the editor of, most recently, A Staggering Revolution: A Cultural History of Thirties Photography. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |