Waterfront Scene

Pino Janni, Waterfront Scene, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.5
Copied Pino Janni, Waterfront Scene, 1934, oil on canvas, 40 1⁄8 x 53 3⁄4 in. (101.8 x 136.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.5

Artwork Details

Title
Waterfront Scene
Artist
Date
1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
40 1⁄8 x 53 3⁄4 in. (101.8 x 136.6 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
  • Occupation — industry — shipping
  • Architecture — machine — crane
  • Waterscape — boat
  • Figure group — male
  • Cityscape — wharf
Object Number
1964.1.5
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1964.1.5

Artwork Description

Pino Janni's depiction of New York City's East River docks is all about hard work. The viewer looks over the shoulders of two burly longshoremen about to unload or load freight from a cargo ship. Towering cranes and booms are ready to lift the heaviest cargo ashore. A nearby tug boat works with ship pilots to guide the enormous vessels to and from the piers. The hawser looped around a bollard shows that a ship is tied up just out of view, bringing employment to these men. During the Depression dockworkers were desperate for scarce jobs, despite their low hourly wages. In January 1934, at the time when Janni was making this painting, a fight broke out among hundreds of longshoremen competing for work.

The red band around the tug's funnel is the only note of bright color in this work-a-day painting. Heavy black outlines define the powerful forms of the men and the harbor. Janni's painting of the noisy, dirty waterfront is as vigorous and straightforward as the longshoremen's labor. The artist could identify with his subjects; as an article about the PWAP stated, "the administration has determined that work must be found for artists as well as for longshoremen."

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.