Dublin Core
Title
Description
We behold an arch bridge under construction in a seemingly non-urban setting, its steel ribs elevated over gray flowing water underneath—perhaps indicating that a large boat has just passed underneath. The area surrounding the bridge contains greens that contrast the industrial aspects of the bridge itself, but we also see large buildings in the background. Color is an important element of this piece. Compared to photographic records of the Hudson construction, De Felipe’s painting seems to be an parable of industrialization, shown through color contrast. The orange of the bridge and buildings versus the green of the trees in the background is juxtaposes industrial structures and natural life. The gray values at the top of Felipe’s painting indicate a moving cloud of smoke that further provides juxtaposition of the natural and industrial worlds. This disparity is also expressed through the sharp lines of the bridge that abruptly cut through the natural background. The piece provokes the viewer to consider the glaring imposition of industrialization on the natural world. The contrast between the bridge in the foreground and the natural world surrounding it indicate a misplacement of industrial life. Originally painted in the 1930s, this piece is likely a commentary on the era of industrial expansion in America. Note: In 2023, the General Services Administration’s Office of Inspector General recovered this painting and returned it to the New Deal Museum in Mount Morris, NY.
About the Artist:
Juan de Felipe was born in Guanajuato, Mexico in 1904. He then travelled from Juarez to New York City in 1919, where he would remain for much of his life. During his time in New York, he was recognized in galleries and received awards. He won the Art Students’ League Fellowship from the Tiffany Foundation in 1929, which provided living quarters and facilities for easel painters. After he received the fellowship, he took part in the annual exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists in New York City in 1930. Evidence of his presence in the New York art scene reappears in 1937 when he took part in two exhibitions: a show sponsored by the left-wing Artists’ Union at the New School for Social Research; and the Pink Slips Over Culture exhibition in 1937, which showed pieces from artists who had been fired from the Federal Art Project—many for lacking U.S. citizenship (. This reminds us that de Felipe likely encountered discrimination throughout his career, for example in 1930 a New Yorker critic calling him their “favorite Primitive” (Pemberton). By 1937, pressures for cutting the Federal Art Project became prominent, with over 600 New York artists removed from the relief program. In response, the Artists’ Union organized sit-ins to protest program cuts, including those who took part in cultural projects. Years earlier, de Felipe’s first opportunities had come through the Society of Independent Artists, which advocated for a “no judge, no prize” acceptance criteria where all art submitted to the organization was accepted no matter the artist’s experience or success. Today, virtually all of his art is lost to history. 1 image at FAP.
Works Consulted: Margaret Breuning, “Group Exhibitions Feature the Week and Indicate Closing of Art Season” (New York Evening Post 11 May 1929); Digital Museum of the History of Japanese in NY, “September 1937 Exhibition of Asian Artists Excluded from the WPA” Link; Jacob Kainen, “Dismissed Artists Give ‘Pink Slip’ Exhibition” (Daily Worker 24 July 1937: 7) Link; Jerome Klein, “The Critic Takes a Glance Around the Galleries” (New York Post 3 June 1937); Henry McBridge, “Grand Central Palace Well Suited for Their Display” (The New York Sun 8 Mar. 1930); Elizabeth McCausland, “Save the Arts Projects” (The Nation, 17 Jul. 1937); Gerland M. Monroe, “Artists on the Barricades: The Militant Artists Union Treats with the New Deal" Link; New York Art Resources Consortium, “The Avant-Garde and the Society of Independent Artists” Link; “News and Reviews of Books,” New York Sun 28 May 1930); Murdock Pemberton, “Metropolitan Mexicans” (New Yorker 1 Nov. 1930: 47-48) Link.
About the Artist:
Juan de Felipe was born in Guanajuato, Mexico in 1904. He then travelled from Juarez to New York City in 1919, where he would remain for much of his life. During his time in New York, he was recognized in galleries and received awards. He won the Art Students’ League Fellowship from the Tiffany Foundation in 1929, which provided living quarters and facilities for easel painters. After he received the fellowship, he took part in the annual exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists in New York City in 1930. Evidence of his presence in the New York art scene reappears in 1937 when he took part in two exhibitions: a show sponsored by the left-wing Artists’ Union at the New School for Social Research; and the Pink Slips Over Culture exhibition in 1937, which showed pieces from artists who had been fired from the Federal Art Project—many for lacking U.S. citizenship (. This reminds us that de Felipe likely encountered discrimination throughout his career, for example in 1930 a New Yorker critic calling him their “favorite Primitive” (Pemberton). By 1937, pressures for cutting the Federal Art Project became prominent, with over 600 New York artists removed from the relief program. In response, the Artists’ Union organized sit-ins to protest program cuts, including those who took part in cultural projects. Years earlier, de Felipe’s first opportunities had come through the Society of Independent Artists, which advocated for a “no judge, no prize” acceptance criteria where all art submitted to the organization was accepted no matter the artist’s experience or success. Today, virtually all of his art is lost to history. 1 image at FAP.
Works Consulted: Margaret Breuning, “Group Exhibitions Feature the Week and Indicate Closing of Art Season” (New York Evening Post 11 May 1929); Digital Museum of the History of Japanese in NY, “September 1937 Exhibition of Asian Artists Excluded from the WPA” Link; Jacob Kainen, “Dismissed Artists Give ‘Pink Slip’ Exhibition” (Daily Worker 24 July 1937: 7) Link; Jerome Klein, “The Critic Takes a Glance Around the Galleries” (New York Post 3 June 1937); Henry McBridge, “Grand Central Palace Well Suited for Their Display” (The New York Sun 8 Mar. 1930); Elizabeth McCausland, “Save the Arts Projects” (The Nation, 17 Jul. 1937); Gerland M. Monroe, “Artists on the Barricades: The Militant Artists Union Treats with the New Deal" Link; New York Art Resources Consortium, “The Avant-Garde and the Society of Independent Artists” Link; “News and Reviews of Books,” New York Sun 28 May 1930); Murdock Pemberton, “Metropolitan Mexicans” (New Yorker 1 Nov. 1930: 47-48) Link.
Creator
De Felipe, Juan (1904-?)
Publisher
Date
Contributor
Scamardo, Sam (description and biography)
Helquist, Morgan (photography)
Helquist, Morgan (photography)
Source
New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY
Object #FA 27875
Object #FA 27875
Format
jpeg, 1.2 MB
jpeg, 1.6 MB
jpeg, 1.6 MB
Type
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Oil on canvas painting
Physical Dimensions
29 1/4 x 35 3/8 in.