Full Description
In this first biography of artist Belle (Goldschlager) Baranceanu, Jennifer Peoples Hernandez tells the extraordinary story of a woman who rose from humble beginnings to become the most important female muralist in San Diego during the Great Depression and a prominent California Modern artist. Her meteoric rise in the art world began in Chicago in the 1920s, but the onset of the Great Depression nearly ended her career. Drawing from previously unpublished letters and archival records, Hernandez skillfully weaves Baranceanu's resilient story into the larger history of the Depression and New Deal in Chicago and San Diego and highlights the success of the government's work relief programs. For Baranceanu and others fortunate enough to work for the New Deal art projects, the Depression turned out to be a golden
age in American art history with a level of government patronage that has been unmatched ever since.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The First American
Chapter 2: Childhood and Homesteading in North Dakota
Chapter 3: Becoming an Artist
Chapter 4: The Los Angeles Period
Chapter 5: Grief and Depression
Chapter 6: Relief
Chapter 7: The Federal Government Becomes a Patron of the Arts
Chapter 8: The Emergency Work Relief Program in San Diego
Chapter 9: A World's Fair and a Growing Art Community
Chapter 10: A Second New Deal for the Arts
Chapter 11: Decorating the Post Office
Chapter 12: The Federal Art Project
Chapter 13: The End of an Era
