Natural Power

Raymond White Skolfield, Natural Power, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.47
Copied Raymond White Skolfield, Natural Power, 1934, oil on canvas, 34 1⁄8 x 36 1⁄8 in. (86.8 x 91.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.47

Artwork Details

Title
Natural Power
Artist
Date
1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
34 1⁄8 x 36 1⁄8 in. (86.8 x 91.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — New York City
  • Allegory — element — energy
  • Landscape — waterfall
  • Architecture — industry — factory
  • Landscape — season — winter
  • Occupation — industry — lumber
  • Figure male
Object Number
1964.1.47
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1964.1.47

Artwork Description

From wood fires to hydroelectricity, Raymond Skolfield's painting tells how power shaped the town of Proctor, Vermont. Sutherland Falls, roaring down the middle of this snowy image, is also central to the town where the major industry is a large marble quarry powered by the falls. Part of the marble quarry complex is visible at the top of this painting. A standpipe for the quarry stands near the creek, colorfully enclosed by blue siding with red trim. Originally, a water-powered mill used belts to drive saws and other heavy equipment for the quarry. In 1905 the marble company replaced the mill with a hydroelectric plant, seen at the right in Skolfield’s painting. A large pipe running parallel to the waterfall feeds surging water into the plant, which powers the quarry and the town. This power helped to carve out snowy white blocks for such projects as the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., under construction in 1934. But as Skolfield points out in his painting, more old-fashioned, natural sources of power persisted as well. A man in the foreground uses muscle power to load his sled with logs he will split and burn in his fireplace to keep the winter cold at bay.

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.