The Greatest Generation Research Paper

Words: 1057
Pages: 5

Art and Design in the G.I/Greatest Generation.
The children growing up through the turbulence of the Lost Generation would come to be known as the Greatest or G.I Generation, G.I standing for General/Government Issue. Entering adulthood between 1929–1946, they would not be the ones to name their generation, rather it was named by Tom Brokaw after reflecting on the generations accomplishments.
The Greatest Generation did not live through a very easy time, they suffered, even more, hardships than the Lost Generation before them. They saw a second World War and the great depression, but rather than rebel against the happenings in the world, they turned the negatives into positives and used this as fuel building a better America. All aspects of
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The government knew how hard times were for their citizens and helped them where ever they could. Artists became jobless because people did not have the incomes to commission them to paint. Instead, President Roosevelt commissioned the unemployed artists to paint murals to represent the era in town cities and create art advertising the ideal America, this was called New Deal Art. The compassion that the government showed to their citizens may have been why the Greatest Generation wanted to make their country the greatest. They knew they were being looked after, and wanted to reciprocate this …show more content…
His oil and water-based paint on linen called Mural was created in 1943 and is one of the biggest paintings he would create. It is said that people see different objects in his abstract piece, from faces and bodies to birds and numbers. I feel that this painting stands out for a few reasons, although Pollock wanted to stay away from the politics that were surrounding everyone at the time, his quick, rapid and almost aggressive brush strokes could be symbolic of his emotion of living through another World War. Pollock’s piece also allows open interpretation of his piece, allowing the audience to decide what the intention of the piece could be. In a generation where you are helping to build a better country during terrible World War, this style of abstract expressionism would be a wonderful distraction and allow the audience to create their own interpretation of the art or even see