The People Work Possibly 1937

Curator: This piece, simply titled "The People Work," is a print attributed to Benton Spruance, possibly created around 1937. The medium appears to be a kind of graphic art, quite possibly designed as a poster. Editor: Well, my first thought is… restraint. The color, that sort of muted terra cotta, and then the bold, blocky text running up the side, it feels… almost severe, doesn't it? Like a WPA announcement board in a dustbowl town. Curator: The severity strikes me, too. The typography plays a crucial role, evoking a sense of urgency and direct communication characteristic of the Social Realist movement. Given the date, it likely speaks to the anxieties and ambitions surrounding labor during the Great Depression. The very act of creating this kind of art – mass reproducible, affordable – connects it to a certain democratizing impulse. Editor: Absolutely. You look at this and you immediately picture it plastered on walls, calling people to action. There's nothing subtle or precious about it. Which, I guess, is the point. The simplicity is almost brutal, but somehow powerful too. Curator: Think about the printing process, too. A relatively simple lithograph probably, yet capable of being reproduced in vast quantities, highlighting a different sort of "work" - not just physical, but the conceptual and industrial labor of creating the image itself, which becomes an act of making art accessible and socially relevant. Editor: It makes me think about the hidden labor that goes into even this seemingly spare artwork. The sourcing of materials, the wear on the press...there are countless unseen actions and materials that led to this flat image. It is beautiful to think of, almost invisible layers of effort beneath a unified whole. Curator: I find that tension quite compelling, this stark visual language attempting to capture, promote, and perhaps even sanitize the messiness and complexity inherent in the lives of "the people" during this period. Editor: I agree; seeing this work makes me ponder what it really meant back then. Hopefully in some way it also inspired folks back then. And also makes one ask oneself "What does 'The People Work' mean to me today?" Curator: A relevant question indeed. Thank you for prompting such considerations through a material perspective. Editor: Likewise.