Snapshot In Time: Digging for clams has hardly changed at all. But if the men in this 1938 silk screen were actually alive, they might be thinking about the havoc the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast by Orson Welles caused when the whole country thought it was being invaded by aliens. Or they could be thinking about that new comic book character, Superman. Or maybe sports, afterall the Yankees just became the first team to win three World Series in a row!
Art Smart Fact: Because Pytlak used small, uneven and muted color patches in his silkscreens, they appear to be watercolors. By arranging his figures loosely they have a vitality not usually achievable in this medium.
About The Art: This silk screen was created in 1938 during the Great Depression when Leonard Pytlak was 28 years old and living in poverty. He was chosen that year to participate in the WPA Federal Art Project, a program initiated by Franklin and fostered by Eleanor Roosevelt. The charter of the program was to underwrite the country’s most talented artists so they could portray everyday Americans at work and play. Pytlak, with two other artists, surpassed all others in the program by developing silkscreening into a fine art.....the only printmaking process to originate in America. This work then, CLAM HUNTERS, can be considered one of the first American fine art silkscreens ever created. It bears the WPA Federal Art Project stamp which adds considerable value.
Note: CLAM HUNTERS comes conservation matted and framed in a classic-style frame at no extra charge. |
![[Leonard Pytlak - CLAM DIGGERS]](/product_images/large/Pytlak - Clam Diggers-p.jpg)
