Archer Daniels Midland Elevator

Arnold Ness Klagstad, Archer Daniels Midland Elevator, 1933-1943, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.196
Copied Arnold Ness Klagstad, Archer Daniels Midland Elevator, 1933-1943, oil on canvas, 22 1⁄4 x 28 1⁄8 in. (56.6 x 71.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.196

Artwork Details

Title
Archer Daniels Midland Elevator
Artist
Date
1933-1943
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
22 1⁄4 x 28 1⁄8 in. (56.6 x 71.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior — industry — factory
  • Architecture Exterior — industry — grain elevator
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — house
  • Object — other — sign
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — Minnesota
  • Cityscape — street
  • Figure group
Object Number
1964.1.196
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1964.1.196

Artwork Description

Cars and trains, industry and agriculture, trees and smokestacks meet in this busy image of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Local painter Arnold Klagstad gently guided the viewer's eye into the painting along a curving stretch of road with a car and two pedestrians to lead the way past a brick house, trees, and green lawns. Two white railroad crossing signs signal an abrupt transition to the confusing complex of commercial structures crowded along the railroad tracks. Among the many buildings is the Harris Machinery Company at the far right, announced by a bold black and white sign, while a towering Archer Daniels Midland grain elevator dominates the view. The density of businesses may suggest a thriving economy, but in fact drought and low farm prices made for hard times in 1930s Minnesota. The juxtapositions of greenery with steel, and agricultural structures with manufacturing signal the tensions among farmers, business owners, and unions that led to violent confrontations in the streets of Minneapolis in 1934.

1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label

Related Books

1934_500.jpg
1934: A New Deal for Artists
During the Great Depression, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “new deal for the American people,” initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt’s pledge to help “the forgotten man” also embraced America’s artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture “the American Scene” in works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. Although it lasted less than one year, from December 1933 to June 1934, the PWAP provided employment for thousands of artists, giving them an important role in the country’s recovery. Their legacy, captured in more than fifteen thousand artworks, helped “the American Scene” become America seen.