"Ben Shahn, On Noncomfority" at The Jewish Museum

"The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti" (1931-32)

"The degree of nonconformity present -- and tolerated -- in a society might be looked upon as a symptom or state of its health." So said artist Ben Shahn, whose work confronting the issues of his day is now on display at The Jewish Museum in New York. 

To say that the case of Sacco and Vanzetti was of interest to Shahn would be an understatement. He created 23 paintings about the trial of the working class Italian-American anarchists for the murder of two men during an armed robbery. In a time long before social media was even a shadow of an idea, millions of people around the world protested the men's conviction and subsequent execution. Many believed the immigrants had been found guilty due to discrimination, politics and a corrupt police investigation rather than evidence. Imagine that. 

In this version of the subject, Shahn shows the members of the committee responsible for upholding the death penalty standing over the defendants in their coffins. Justice Webster Thayer can be seen in the window of the courthouse taking his oath of office. The inclusion of these recognizable "gentlemen" in the painting resulted in some internal issues at MOMA, where the work was exhibited. It turned out that several of the Museum's trustees were friends with Thayer and his cronies and didn't appreciate the way they were depicted in the painting. FYI, the same scene can also be found in a mural at Syracuse University's Law School designed by Shahn in 1965. French artist Gabriel Loire was responsible for execution of the mosaic. To see that work, click here. 

Poster by Shahn and Muriel Rukeyser (1943)

While I was familiar with Shahn's work as a painter, I hadn't seen any of the posters he designed to raise awareness about the issues facing our country. The exhibit included a number of examples of this work, including his "Our Manpower" poster made for the Office of War Information. The mission of OWI was to mobilize American support for the Allied fight against fascism in World War II. 

This image was taken from an OWI picture of two welders, with one significant modification. Instead of featuring two White workers as the photograph did, Shahn's version features one White and one Black man. Shahn believed the poster should reflect the diversity of the US labor force despite ongoing racial conflicts on and off factory floors. Rukseyer's text emphasized Shahn's point. 

OWI elected not to publish the poster. Instead, the work was acquired by the NY Public Library and included in its Victory Book Campaign exhibit mounted that year. For more on the "War on Words" exhibit, click here. 

Poster by Bernarda Bryson Shahn (1936)

I appreciated the inclusion of this poster by Bernarda Bryson Shahn, Ben's wife, in the exhibit. This work, along with Shahn's "Years of Dust," were made for the Resettlement Administration's Special Skills Division. Both images were inspired by photographs Shahn took while employed by the RSA. His subjects didn't pose for these photos, and in fact weren't even aware their pictures were being taken. In order to capture natural poses, Shahn used a camera with a right angle viewfinder. It was an effective technique, but I do wonder if any of the people depicted saw the poster in which they were featured and, if so, how they felt about it. 

As a bit of an aside, Ben and Bernarda met when she traveled from Ohio to New York to interview Diego Rivera. I don't know how the interview went, but it's clear that Bernarda and Ben, who was Rivera's studio assistant, hit it off. This was back in 1933, and the couple shortly thereafter took off on a cross country road trip to create work for the RSA. They became "life companions," not marrying until shortly before Ben's death in 1969. Bernarda was not a traditional woman. Yet another reason I'm happy to have been introduced to her work. 

"Conversations" (1958)

I'll leave you with Shahn's "Conversations" from 1958. I'd never identify this work as having been created by Shahn by just looking at it, but the subject matter fits right in with his political outlook. The wall card explained. "Two officials covertly exchange black papers, speaking to the atmosphere of surveillance and suspicion that permeated the Cold War era. These shadowy figures with masks [atop their heads] allude to political duplicity and hypocrisy."

Art historians believe Shahn is commenting in this work on democratic leaders who prioritized stopping the rise of Communism over adherence to their stated principles. Think Eisenhower's overtures to Franco in the 1950s despite the dictator's alliance with Hitler during WWII. While only a decade later, the political landscape had changed, and Spain had become strategically situated to combat Soviet influence in Europe. Eisenhower was forced to choose between the lesser of two evils, and he went with Franco. It could not have been a comfortable alliance. 

To go back to the painting for a moment, what the wall card didn't explain was the upside down head on Franco's figure. I have no idea of its meaning. Perhaps the topsy turvy nature of politics? Perhaps that Franco had more than two "faces" of which Eisenhower needed to be aware? And what about the fact that the men are chest to chest? Yes, they would want to be close to have a covert hand off of the papers, but each man also could each be trying to establish his dominance over the other. I find the painting unsettling. 

"Ben Shahn: On Nonconformity" will be on display through October 25th. It's an exhibit well worth seeing if you're in New York. For more information, click here.