Visual Activity for Chapter 24

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Figure false: City Activities Mural
Figure false: During the 1930s, artists — many of them employed by New Deal agencies — painted thousands of murals depicting the variety of American life. These murals often appeared in public buildings. The mural shown here, by Missouri-born artist Thomas Hart Benton, illustrates the seductive pleasures and the spirit to be found in American cities. © AXA Financial, Inc. Thomas Hart Benton, City Activities with Subway, from America Today, 1930. Distemper and egg tempera on gessoed linen with oil glaze 92 x 134½”. Collection of AXA Financial, Inc., through its subsidiary, The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the U.S.
Figure false: VISUAL ACTIVITY

Question

READING THE IMAGE: What features of urban experience does Benton emphasize in this mural? What ideas and attitudes, if any, link the people shown here?

Question

CONNECTIONS: To what extent does the mural highlight activities distinct to U.S. cities, compared with urban life in Europe, Africa, or Asia?