Regionalism

Movement that dominated painting in the USA throughout the 1930s. Originally applied to the novels of everyday life in the South by such writers as John Crowe Ransom and Robert Penn Warren, the term was later used to describe an artistic trend exemplified by realistic depictions of identifiably American subjects, which celebrated the positive aspects of life in the USA. Other artists, such as Ben Shahn and the Soyer brothers, also produced realistic pictures of typically American subjects, but their work, known as SOCIAL REALISM, took a critical approach. These two movements are part of the phenomenon known as AMERICAN SCENE PAINTING.

See the Abbreviations for further details.