In an online exhibition that aptly dovetails with Art for the Millions: American Culture and Politics in the 1930s, currently on view at The Met and also featured in this issue, Helicline Fine Art presents works by prominent WPA-era muralist, Joseph Cain (1904-2003).
Joseph Cain (1904-2003), Hammering Nails, ca. 1930s. Gouache on paper, 39 x 50½ in., signed lower right.
A painter, muralist and art educator, Joseph Cain’s work remained infused by the color and vibrancy of his native New Orleans long after he left at the age of 16, first to study at the Art Institute of Chicago and then at the Art Students League of New York, where he was instructed by Kenneth Hayes Miller, Kimon NicolaÏdes and Vaclav Vytlacil. He later studied under the abstract expressionist Hans Hofmann and at the Sorbonne in Paris.
Cain’s style was constantly evolving throughout his career. His 1920s realism gave way to an abstract cubism reminiscent of Stuart Davis and clearly influenced by his European contemporaries. Beginning in the late 1930s, Cain employed thickly applied paint to create streetscapes, marine scenes and landscapes in a style sometimes categorized as “decorative expressionism.”
Joseph Cain (1904-2003), Lower Manhattan, ca. 1930s. Oil on canvas, 34¼ x 42½ in., signed lower right.
Helicline’s exhibit Jo Cain: Echoes of an Era features mural studies, works on paper and paintings from the 1930s and 1940s, which make up the core offerings of Helicline Fine Art.
Highlights include several mural studies depicting various workers created for the New York State Training School for Boys in Warwick, New York, in 1933. Personally supported by Eleanor Roosevelt, the 20,000-square-foot federal commission was the largest mural produced in the United States to date, making him a key figure in the developing muralist movement. Other works depict the Bronx Post Office and the Mississppi River in St. Louis. One drawing was a Vogue magazine cover proposal and two oil paintings show Lower Manhattan and Union Square.
“While Jo Cain was not part of the WPA program, his work is emblematic of the time the United States government paid artists to work,” says gallery owner Keith Helicline. “With so many unemployed people during the depression, it’s no wonder that the focus of so much of the period art showed people working.”
Joseph Cain (1904-2003), The Drama of the St. Louis Great River, ca. 1930s. Gouache on paper, 23¼ x 25½ in., estate stamp on verso.
Joseph Cain’s son, Michael Cain notes, “My father had a strong interest in marginalized people, in this case, reform school boys. His mission was to inspire students by showing various professions, workers.”
Helicline’s proprietors, Keith Sherman and Roy Goldberg were thrilled to learn that The Met was launching an exhibition of WPA-era artists.
“The last major museum exhibition of 1930s art was 1934 at the Smithsonian, more than a decade ago,” says Helicline. “Considering the social and economic hardship facing much of our country now, we thought more curators would take a look back to Depression-era art. We hope the sensational Met exhibition inspires other curators from around the country to bring artwork from this important period of America’s life back to life.”
Joseph Cain (1904-2003), Chemists, ca. 1940s. Oil on paper, 40½ x 31¾ in., signed lower right.
As to why art of this era resonates with Helicline and why he and Goldberg decided to make it the focus of their gallery, he says, “We never decided to love artwork from the 30s and 40s. Like most things in life, it found us. The American scene walked into our hearts.”
Echoes of an Era will be on view at heliclinefineart.com from November 1, 2023, through January 21, 2024.
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