Ida Abelman She is well known for her blend of different styles of art, including Surrealism, Constructivism, and Social Realism.
It is important to define the themes of your artwork because only then can it be framed in the context of social commentary appropriate to the time period. Artistic themes that convey important social, economic, and political messages of the time transform the function of the works from "for display purposes" to "for learning purposes."
The social realist worked during the Depression for the Works Progress Administration, completing lithographs and larger public murals.
Constr., 1939. Source: MoMA
Much of his deeply political work featured glimpses of the urban poor, among whom he was counted.
His art also incorporated architectural elements drawn from the landscape of NY, including the bridge Brooklyn, the subway platforms and elevated train tracks that towered over the downtown streets.
For example, his work Wonders of Our Time it shows a crowd moving in and out of a crowded subway car, with the irony of the work's title conveyed powerfully by the collapsed man in the center of the image.
Influenced by surrealism, Abelman imbued this everyday scene with a dreamlike feeling of foreboding and aggression, while human bodies strain against mechanization and progress that such technological advances were destined to bring.
In the constructivist tradition, his work often reflects a machine aesthetic, combining machine parts with human or organic forms where their presence conveys both the positive and negative consequences of a mechanized society.
His artistic training included National Academy of Design, Grand Central School of Art, College of the City of New York, and the HUnter College, all in the city of NY.
In addition to his graphic production, Abelman completed two murals for Federal Art Projects, "Lewiston Milestones" en Lewiston, Ill. y "Booneville Beginnings" en Booneville, Indiana, both existing.
He also worked in water-based media such as watercolor, gouache, and tempera. She was a member of Congress of American Artists and he produced twenty-three original lithographs for the FAP, many of which are now in museum collections.
Abelman outlined his compositions against the full sheet of paper, imparting an abstract force to the lithographs that is a hallmark of his personal style.
In summary: strongly influenced by surrealism, constructivism and social realism, the work of Ida Abelman is a mirror that reflects the world that surrounded her during the turbulent ages of Depression and WWII.
