Tate Modern Social Realism

As soon as I stepped into the Social Realism exhibition room of Tate Modern, I was prompted with paintings of different styles and subjects. This room’s exhibitions’ era stretches from the 1920’s to the 1940’s, with artists from celebrated muralist Diego Rivera to controversial surrealist Balthus. This room exhibited works of many different medias from traditional oil-on-canvas works to colour pastel on paper. This room may seem slightly bland at first sights as they’re mainly portraits of plain-looking working class people and politicians, but behind the paintings themselves, lies within stories and opinions of different perspectives on commoners’ lifestyle, politics, and war of that time. Most of the exhibited works’ mediums were mainly on the traditional side: oil on canvas, colour pastel on paper, and sculpture. Painting style wise, everything’s a lot more academic (for example, Meredith Frampton’s paintings) and technically uptight. And from I gather from most of the paintings, aside from Christian Schad’s “Agosta, The Pigeon Chested Man, And Rasha, The Black Dove”, the colours were more monotonous and colour range were either quite dark and reserved. And due to the colour ranges, it seems to give out an emotionless and aloof vibe. Making us audiences feel like we’re observers staring into a glass box of another era. As the descriptions on the wall of the exhibition mentioned that in the 1930’s, realistic styles were annex to support apposed political ideologies. And some governments such as Nazi Germany, believed that heroic style of art is the “correct” style of art and it strives against modernism. And Soviet Russian government also played a big part in this art era, where the government believed that art should celebrate the middle class. The placement of works within the exhibition room tells the story not only of the art era of that time, also the way the society is and the political characters and situation of that time, therefore not only the

Bibliography: Website: Tate Collection (2010) Tate Collection (2010). Meredith Frampton [online]. Available at: [Accessed 4th May 2010] Tate Collection (2010) < http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=2331&page=1> [Accessed 4th May 2010] Tate Collection (2010) < http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=689&page=1> [Accessed 4th May 2010] Tate Collection (2010) Prendeville, B. (2000) Realism in 20th Century Painting. United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson Ltd. Schad, C. Agosta, The Pigeon chested Man, And Rasha, The Black Dove (1929). Oil on canvas, London: Tate Modern. Schad, C. Self Portrait (1927). Oil on canvas, London: Tate Modern. Beckmann, M. Carnival (1920). Oil on canvas, London: Tate Modern. Balthus. Still Life With a Figure (1940). Oil on canvas, London: Tate Modern. Frampton, M. Marguerite Kelsey (1928). Oil on canvas, London: Tate Modern. Frampton, M. Portrait of a Young Woman (1935). Oil on canvas, London: Tate Modern. Guevara, M. Seated Woman With Small Dog (1939). Oil on canvas, London: Tate Modern.