Social Realism

Because of the Great Depression and the rise of fascism in the 1930s, many American artists turned away from abstract painting. In contrast, they began to paint in a realistic style again. Social realism mainly focuses on describing the reality of the social situation. This pitted the social realists against the regionalists, who painted an idealized version of America. The social situation portrayed by the social realists is often miserable and concerns the lower classes. The art had to be socially conscious according to social realism and often the victims of the economic and political problems of the period were depicted. Social realism is not to be confused with socialist realism, which was popular in the Soviet Union despite the similar topics. The inspiration of many social realists came from the Ashcan School and from the work of Mexican muralists. The popularity of social realism waned in the early 1940s, as attention turned to new art forms such as abstract expressionism. The emotional charge in the works of the social realists can be seen as a preparation for later expressionism.