Subway

Lily Furedi, Subway, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1965.18.43
Lily Furedi, Subway, 1934, oil on canvas, 3948 14 in. (99.1122.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1965.18.43

Artwork Details

Title
Subway
Artist
Date
1934
Dimensions
3948 14 in. (99.1122.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — New York City
  • Recreation — leisure — grooming
  • Architecture — vehicle — subway
  • Recreation — leisure — conversation
  • Figure group
  • Figure group
  • Recreation — leisure — reading
  • State of being — other — sleep
Object Number
1965.18.43
Research Notes

Artwork Description

In this painting Lily Furedi boldly did something that few dare to do: she looked at people on the subway. She took the viewpoint of a seated rider gazing down the car at her fellow passengers. The Hungarian-born artist knew of the subway riders' customary avoidance of staring at one’s fellow riders; most people in her painting keep to themselves by hiding behind a magazine or newspaper, or by sleeping. Those who violate the unwritten rule do so furtively. A woman takes a quiet sidelong glance at the newspaper read by the man next to her, while a man steals a peek at a young woman applying lipstick. Only two women in the foreground, who obviously know each other, dare to look directly at each other as they talk companionably.

Furedi takes a friendly interest in her fellow subway riders, portraying them sympathetically. She focuses particularly on a musician who has fallen asleep in his formal working clothes, holding his violin case. The artist would have identified with such a New York musician because her father, Samuel Furedi, was a professional cellist.

1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label

Works by this artist (1 item)

Lily Furedi, Subway, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1965.18.43
Subway
Date1934
oil on canvas
On view

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      Hop aboard artist Lily Furedi’s Subway with Virginia Mecklenburg, senior curator of 20th century art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Look closely at the choices Furedi makes in depicting a varied group of passengers on a New York City subway car in 1934. Learn more about the connection between this painting and the Public Works of Art Project, a federal program that supported artists during the Great Depression.

      This video is part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's ongoing series American Art Moments. Join a SAAM expert and go beyond the artwork label to discover the untold stories and rich connections represented in some of the museum's most iconic artworks.

      Related Books

      1934_500.jpg
      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.

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      WPA painting of people on a New York City subway
      Our video series American Art Moments takes a closer look at an important New Deal painting in SAAM’s collection