Chicago Interior

J. Theodore Johnson, Chicago Interior, 1933-1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.82
J. Theodore Johnson, Chicago Interior, 1933-1934, oil on canvas, 2834 in. (71.286.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.82

Artwork Details

Title
Chicago Interior
Date
1933-1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2834 in. (71.286.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Recreation — leisure — reading
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — Illinois
  • Architecture Interior — detail — window
  • Portrait female — Johnson, Barbara Salmon — full length
  • Architecture Interior — domestic — bedroom
Object Number
1964.1.82

Artwork Description

The warmth from the radiator is almost palpable in this painting, contrasting with the snowy city seen through the window. The distinctive blue-tiled tower of the American Furniture Mart identifies the setting as Chicago, where artist J. Theodore Johnson and his wife, Barbara Salmon Johnson, came to attend an exhibition of the artist's work shortly after they had wed in New York in December 1931. The artist lovingly portrayed his beautiful young wife reading in their hotel room. The warm browns, yellows, and oranges raise the visual temperature, heightened further by hot touches of red in the drapery and in Mrs. Johnson's lips, cheeks, magazine, and chair. A heavy fur coat laid to dry by the radiator shows that Mrs. Johnson has recently come in to escape the frigid winds from Lake Michigan. Her husband was one of many artists who participated both in the Public Works of Art Project and in later Federal Art Projects. In 1937 and 1939 Johnson returned to Chicago to fulfill commissions from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts for historical murals in the Morgan Park and Oak Park Post Offices.

1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label

Works by this artist (7 items)

John McQueen, Touch, 1987, tied red osier sticks, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jane and Arthur K. Mason on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 1996.98.7
Touch
Date1987
tied red osier sticks
Not on view
John McQueen, Untitled, 1992, yucca, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Eleanor T. and Samuel J. Rosenfeld, 1997.41.3
Untitled
Date1992
yucca
Not on view
John McQueen, Untitled #176, 1988, ash wood and bark, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Diane and Sandy Besser, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1997.95.1
Untitled #176
Date1988
ash wood and bark
Not on view
Untitled
Date1988
ash willow and red osier
Not on view

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.

More Artworks from the Collection

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Leopardus pardalis (Ocelot)
Date1998
hot glass and Graal technique
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Mark Matthews, Neofelis nebulosa (Clouded Leopard), 1998, hot glass and Graal technique, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist and family in honor of Francis M. Greenwell, 1999.21.10, © 1999, Mark Matthews
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Date1998
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Acinonyx jubatus (Cheetah)
Date1998
hot glass and Graal technique
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Panthera onca (Jaguar)
Date1998
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