Electric Production and Direction

William Karp, Electric Production and Direction, ca. 1933-1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.128A-B
Copied William Karp, Electric Production and Direction, ca. 1933-1934, oil on canvas, two panels, total: 55 3⁄4 x 27 1⁄8 in. (141.7 x 69.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.128A-B

Artwork Details

Title
Electric Production and Direction
Artist
Date
ca. 1933-1934
Location
Dimensions
two panels, total: 55 3⁄4 x 27 1⁄8 in. (141.7 x 69.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Allegory — element — energy
  • Study — mural study
  • Figure — fragment — arm
  • Architecture — machine
  • Allegory — arts and sciences — industry
  • Architecture — industry — power plant
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — New York City
Object Number
1964.1.128A-B
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1964.1.128A-B

Artwork Description

William Karp created Electric Production and Direction as a mural design for the Public Works of Art Project in New York during the 1930s. The image shows disembodied, muscular hands and arms as components in a complex machine. It is difficult to tell who is in control. The hands at the top might be twisting and pulling strings to operate the machine, but the giant eye in the background suggests there is a greater power watching over. Mechanical forms echo the shape of the clenched fist in the center, but the fist is also tightly clamped in place. This sinister combination of flesh and metal evokes a common fear during the 1930s that machines would not only replace factory workers, but would literally absorb them into their clinking, whirring mechanisms.