Engine House and Bunkers

Austin Mecklem, Engine House and Bunkers, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.46
Austin Mecklem, Engine House and Bunkers, 1934, oil on canvas, 3850 14 in. (96.5127.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.46

Artwork Details

Title
Engine House and Bunkers
Date
1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3850 14 in. (96.5127.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — bird’s eye view
  • Architecture — vehicle — train
  • Architecture — industry — railroad yard
  • Architecture — industry — factory
  • Architecture — machine — engine
Object Number
1964.1.46

Artwork Description

Storm clouds blow and rain pelts down on the busy Hudson River port and rail hub of Kingston, New York. Artist Austin Mecklem lived in rural Woodstock, New York, but when the Public Works of Art Project called for artists to paint "the American Scene," he left his serene home to depict this gritty view of Kingston's shipping activity. The complex of dock cranes, warehouses, and steam trains struck the artist as characteristic of American life in the 1930s. He showed the scene in tones of red, green, gray that stress the industrial might of men and machines moving freight.

Mecklem detailed his composition in a letter to Juliana Force, chairman of the New York Regional Committee of the PWAP:


"For subject matter I have chosen a familiar railroad scene with strong dramatic possibilities. It includes machine-shops—[an] engine house—bunkers—roundtable—water-tank and tracks stretching into the middle distance where a river and the buildings of a small town are discernable. The buildings in the foreground arrange in an angular pattern contrasted by the horizontal feeling of the town structures and the river bank, emphasizing the dynamic aspect of the scene. Distant hills faintly seen through a rain-swept sky complete the composition."

1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label

Works by this artist (5 items)

Akio Takamori, Ochre Landscape, 2014, stoneware with underglazes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Giselle and Ben Huberman, Barbara and Arnold Berlin, Leon and Miriam Ellsworth, Bruce and Leslie Lane, Chris Rifkin, Jacqueline Urow, Judith S. Weisman, Anne Mehringer and Terry Beaty, Diane Charnov, Robert Minkoff, and Mark and Reba Immergut, 2016.12.2, © 2014, Akio Takamori
Ochre Landscape
Date2014
stoneware with underglazes
Not on view
Akio Takamori, Green Mountain, 2015, stoneware with underglazes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, Sharon and Robert Buchanan, Brenda Erickson, Carol and Joe Green, Michele Manatt and Wolfram Anders, Clemmer Montague, Gilbert and Bonnie Schwartz, Kathryn Van Wyk, Patricia A. Young, Marilyn Hardis, and Diane and Marc Grainer, 2016.12.1, © 2015, Akio Takamori
Green Mountain
Date2015
stoneware with underglazes
Not on view
Akio Takamori, Woman and Child, 2002, stoneware, underglaze, and acrylic paint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Driek and Michael Zirinsky in honor of Anton and Donna Bestebreurtje, 2015.28.5, © 2002, Akio Takamori
Woman and Child
Date2002
stoneware, underglaze, and acrylic paint
Not on view
Akio Takamori, School Boy, 1999, porcelain with under and overglazes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Driek and Michael Zirinsky in honor of Judy Hill, 2015.28.4, © Akio Takamori
School Boy
Date1999
porcelain with under and overglazes
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

James F. Dicke II, Untitled #48, 2009, mixed media on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Marsha Ralls, 2010.19.1, © 2009, James F. Dicke II
Untitled #48
Date2009
mixed media on canvas
On view
Residual Series: Weak Heart, Strong Lungs
Date2018
ink, charcoal, acrylic, spray paint, enamel, oil, metal dust and pine needles on canvas
Not on view
Rae Ferren, The Lily Pool, 2004, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Bran Ferren, 2010.59, © 2004, Rae Ferren
The Lily Pool
Date2004
oil on canvas
On view
Alexis Rockman, Gymnorhamphichthys bogardusae, 2001, oil on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William and Maria Spears, 2019.58
Gymnorhamphichthys bogardusae
Date2001
oil on wood
Not on view