Artist

Harry W. Scheuch

born Elizabeth, NJ 1906-died Pittsburgh, PA 1978
Also known as
  • Harry William Scheuch
  • Harry Scheuch
Born
Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States
Died
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Nationalities
  • American
Biography

Harry W. Scheuch moved from New Jersey to Pittsburgh in 1928 to study at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He described his new home as a painters town and stayed there his entire life, leaving only once to visit Paris in the summer of 1952. Scheuch created murals for the Works Progress Administration during the Depression, and painted many scenes of outdoor life in and around Pittsburgh. (Gigler, Humble Artist in A Painter's Town, The Pittsburgh Press, April 5, 1981)

Related Books

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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.