1 10 2 https://openvalley.org/files/original/960704b7ab403af2ec90a9cc259e713e.JPG 084b7072ef027f270fb55816ba37421a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Oil painting Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 24 x 30 in. Painting condition: surface dirt, canvas dented Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vase of Asters Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 868 KB Description An account of the resource In a darkened room, light dramatically illuminates an arrangement of flowers and dried oak leaves in a simple white vase. The leaf shapes and Sharp’s brushwork create a flamelike appearance, albeit in a more muted color palette—even the bouquet’s shadow rises sinuously upward. Highlights upon the background imply that everything here is possessed of an aura. About the Artist: Born in Galesburg, IL, Sharp grew up in Eldon, IA and showed a talent for art at an early age, matriculating at the University of Iowa in 1928. While a student he met curator Edward Rowan and painter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Wood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grant Wood</a>, both of whom would become important figures in the regional art movement, co-founding the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_City_Art_Colony" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stone City Art Colony</a>. At age nineteen, taking Wood on a driving tour of Eldon, Sharp showed him the house that would figure in the iconic painting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gothic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Gothic</a>. Sharp studied at the Stone City colony for a short period before relocating to New York, where he attended the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design. It was during this period in the early 1930s that Sharp met his lifelong partner, the painter <a href="http://www.askart.com/artist/Paul_Crosthwaite/121992/Paul_Crosthwaite.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul Crosthwaite</a>. The two relocated to an established art scene in Buck’s County, PA. Besides his work in the WPA easel division, Sharp was chosen to create three murals for post offices in Iowa:  <a href="https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-mural-bloomfield-ia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Autumn”</a> (1940), in Bloomfield; <a href="https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-mural-rockwell-city-ia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Summer”</a> (1941), in Rockwell City; <a href="https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/hawarden-post-office-mural-hawarden-ia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Winter”</a> (1942), in Haywarden. While all show the regionalist influence of Wood, Sharp also had a distinctive sense of humor. His painting <a href="https://bucksco.michenerartmuseum.org/bucksartists/image/645/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“We All Hang Together”</a> mashes up domestic folk art and a Benjamin Franklin epigram; his landscape painting at the NDG features what appears to be a herd of cows but actually is dinosaurs. Still, his taste for surreality did not stand in the way of commercial success. Sharp was called “a skillful factualist who loves the textures of barns, flowers, leaves, shells, and old roots” (Benson). He was commissioned to render portraits of New York theater actors; his paintings were chosen for a traveling Hallmark Art Award exhibition (1951) and appeared on the cover of Colliers magazine (“P.O. Mural”). Sharp and Crosthwaite moved to Florida full-time by the mid-1950s, continuing their work while instructing younger artists. 3 works at <a href="https://www.pafa.org/collection-artists/john-sharp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts</a>. 3 <a href="https://livingnewdeal.org/artists/john-sharp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post office murals</a> for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. 1 work at <a href="https://chrysler.emuseum.com/objects/37648/untitled?ctx=ab112bf1-8a18-4eee-ad47-7ee4aee14dd0&idx=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chrysler Museum of Art</a>. 1 work at <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/artist/john-o-robert-sharp-4393" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a>. 2 works at the <a href="https://bucksco.michenerartmuseum.org/bucksartists/artist/243/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michener Art Museum</a>. 5 images at <a href="https://projects.mtmercy.edu/stonecity/otherartists/sharp.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stone City Art Colony</a>. 6 more images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-21-folder-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Works Consulted: Gertrude Benson, “Dynamic Oils and Sculpture at Academy,” Philadelphia Inquirer 25 Jan. 1953: 17; “P.O. Mural is Hung Tuesday,” Haywarden Independent 28 May 1942: 1; Kristy Raine, et al., <a href="“John%20Sharp,”">“John Sharp,”</a> Stone City Art Colony and School, web. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sharp, John, 1911-1966 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1937-04-12 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ritz, Abigail (photography) Cooper, Ken (biography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Gallery, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts Object #FA18267 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 174 Federal Art Project John Sharp New Deal Gallery painting still life https://openvalley.org/files/original/59aed509e70844cd4407ae081c5bcf51.jpg 9f143cc27fbc997b7801567297db4b31 https://openvalley.org/files/original/4341edab5affe7a3ecc284330fdae991.JPG c0e329d65b69f5ce9be538f4ebdaf994 https://openvalley.org/files/original/2a2e67b4e7db2dddf499f6363aceb242.jpg 9fcb50602716155b866ba9cb1be15fb6 https://openvalley.org/files/original/867b50c6220e5d237d95ba25172c316a.jpg a0db7188f78bf1848b40f1e5fe549b70 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Oil on Canvas Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 30 x 24 in. Condition: canvas slightly dented Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Deserted Wharf Description An account of the resource Cool blues and greens dominate much of Sharp’s landscape, creating a sharp contrast against the red of the barn and sails. A body of water surrounding the wharf clearly is too small for any boats and seems to be drying up. The rolling hills and mountains in the background make the area feel vast and somewhat empty. There are no people within the painting, although there are a few structures that could be houses—one of which has a gravestone—and what appears to be a church spire. Strangest of all is a fenced-in pasture with dinosaurs. About the Artist: Born in Galesburg, IL, Sharp grew up in Eldon, IA and showed a talent for art at an early age, matriculating at the University of Iowa in 1928. While a student he met curator Edward Rowan and painter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Wood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grant Wood</a>, both of whom would become important figures in the regional art movement, co-founding the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_City_Art_Colony" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stone City Art Colony</a>. At age nineteen, taking Wood on a driving tour of Eldon, Sharp showed him the house that would figure in the iconic painting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gothic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Gothic</a>. Sharp studied at the Stone City colony for a short period before relocating to New York, where he attended the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design. It was during this period in the early 1930s that Sharp met his lifelong partner, the painter <a href="http://www.askart.com/artist/Paul_Crosthwaite/121992/Paul_Crosthwaite.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul Crosthwaite</a>. The two relocated to an established art scene in Buck’s County, PA. Besides his work in the WPA easel division, Sharp was chosen to create three murals for post offices in Iowa:  <a href="https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-mural-bloomfield-ia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Autumn”</a> (1940), in Bloomfield; <a href="https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-mural-rockwell-city-ia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Summer”</a> (1941), in Rockwell City; <a href="https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/hawarden-post-office-mural-hawarden-ia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Winter”</a> (1942), in Haywarden. While all show the regionalist influence of Wood, Sharp also had a distinctive sense of humor. His painting <a href="https://bucksco.michenerartmuseum.org/bucksartists/image/645/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“We All Hang Together”</a> mashes up domestic folk art and a Benjamin Franklin epigram; his landscape painting at the NDG features what appears to be a herd of cows but actually is dinosaurs. Still, his taste for surreality did not stand in the way of commercial success. Sharp was called “a skillful factualist who loves the textures of barns, flowers, leaves, shells, and old roots” (Benson). He was commissioned to render portraits of New York theater actors; his paintings were chosen for a traveling Hallmark Art Award exhibition (1951) and appeared on the cover of Colliers magazine (“P.O. Mural”). Sharp and Crosthwaite moved to Florida full-time by the mid-1950s, continuing their work while instructing younger artists. 3 works at <a href="https://www.pafa.org/museum/collection-artist/john-sharp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts</a>. 3 <a href="https://livingnewdeal.org/artists/john-sharp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post office murals</a> for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. 1 work at <a href="https://chrysler.emuseum.com/objects/37648/untitled?ctx=ab112bf1-8a18-4eee-ad47-7ee4aee14dd0&idx=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chrysler Museum of Art</a>. 1 work at <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/artist/john-o-robert-sharp-4393" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a>. 2 works at the <a href="https://bucksco.michenerartmuseum.org/bucksartists/artist/243/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michener Art Museum</a>. 5 images at <a href="https://projects.mtmercy.edu/stonecity/otherartists/sharp.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stone City Art Colony</a>. 6 more images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-21-folder-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Works Consulted: Gertrude Benson, “Dynamic Oils and Sculpture at Academy,” Philadelphia Inquirer 25 Jan. 1953: 17; “P.O. Mural is Hung Tuesday,” Haywarden Independent 28 May 1942: 1; Kristy Raine, et al., <a href="“John%20Sharp,”">“John Sharp,”</a> Stone City Art Colony and School, web. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sharp, John, 1911-1966 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1937-03-12 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ritz, Abigail (photography) Schmeer, Samantha (biography) Cooper, Ken (biography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Gallery, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts Object #FA18268 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.3 MB jpeg, 16.8 MB Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 175 1930s Federal Art Project Iowa John Sharp landscape New Deal Gallery painting wharf