Accession Number
1943.131

Title
Starvation

Artist(s)
Bernard Steffen

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1939

Medium & Support
lithograph on paper

Dimensions
8 ⅛ in x 14 ½ in (20.64 cm x 36.83 cm)

Credit Line
Allocated by the U.S. Government Commissioned through the New Deal art projects

Subject matter
Bernard Steffen produced murals and prints such as this one under the Works Progress Administration from 1934-1941. He was a student of Thomas Hart Benton, another famous WPA artist, but Steffen preferred landscapes to his teacher's focus on American lives and social issues. Starvation, however, shows the physical and emotional toll the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl had on American farmers and their livestock. 

Physical Description
A bovine carcass lies on the ground. A man in overalls and a wide-brimmed hat stands behind it, facing the viewer and gesturing towards the deceased animal.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
WPA
agriculture
cows
cows (mammals)
death
deaths
farmers (people in agriculture)
field
livestock
males
modern and contemporary art
standing
starvation
straw
valleys