Back of the Yards

Mitchell Siporin, Back of the Yards, ca. 1937, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration, 1971.447.80
Mitchell Siporin, Back of the Yards, ca. 1937, pencil on paper, sheet: 20 5⁄8 x 23 3⁄4 in. (52.4 x 60.3 cm) irregular, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration, 1971.447.80

Artwork Details

Title
Back of the Yards
Artist
Date
ca. 1937
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 20 5⁄8 x 23 3⁄4 in. (52.4 x 60.3 cm) irregular
Credit Line
Transfer from General Services Administration
Mediums
Mediums Description
pencil on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • New Deal — Works Progress Administration, Federal Art Project — Illinois
  • Polish
  • Architecture Exterior — industry — storage tank
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — house
  • Figure group
Object Number
1971.447.80
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1971.447.80

Artwork Description

The yards in this title refer to the Union Stock Yards near a residential neighborhood in Chicago. Siporin’s father was a union organizer, and the artist was especially sensitive to the plight of the homeless and dispossessed during the Great Depression. The mother, father, and child form a compositional unit in the center, while the man in a trench coat is a menacing figure. In the painting based on this drawing, the artist eliminated the man in the coat, focusing the viewer’s attention on the family.

Graphic Masters II: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2009

Works by this artist (17 items)

View all artworks
Mitchell Siporin, Back of the Yards, 1938, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration, 1971.447.83
Back of the Yards
Artist
Date1938
oil on canvas
On view
Mitchell Siporin, Judith, etching on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1981.151.1
Judith
Artist
etching on paper
Not on view
Mitchell Siporin, Performers, engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1981.151.2
Performers
Artist
engraving on paper
Not on view
Mitchell Siporin, Death and the Maiden, 1962, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1968.52.3
Death and the Maiden
Artist
Date1962
oil on canvas
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Joseph Hardin, Untitled (figure at Table, View of Legs), ca. 1978, colored pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.111
Untitled (figure at Table, View of Legs)
Artist
Dateca. 1978
colored pencil on paper
Not on view
William Zorach, (Untitled--Child's Head), 1925, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of the Zorach children, 1976.145.8
(Untitled – Child’s Head)
Artist
Date1925
pencil on paper
Not on view
Michael Clark, Classic Series, 1970, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Fendrick, 1980.131.3
Classic Series
Artist
Date1970
pencil on paper
Not on view
Image Not Available
Study for the Pushover
Artist
Date1981
pencil on paper
Not on view