168:
20:
287:
Refregier also uses white to represent virtue in those inspired by a cause. His style is very flat and one-dimensional. He uses solid blocks of color to denote shadows, along with depth and shade. His painting style appears to be very rudimentary and simple, but complex because of the way he uses color to evoke emotion and powerful images to tell a story.
248:, that was based on fabricated evidence. Refregier used these tragedies as inspiration. Refregier "believed that art must address itself to contemporary issues and that a mural painting in particular must not be 'banal, decorative embellishment,' but a 'meaningful, significant, powerful plastic statement based on the history and lives of the people.'"
299:
created a heated debate because of the controversial events it depicted from
California's past. After all, the mural was located in a public building and Refregier was using public funds to complete it. People believed that it "placed disproportionate emphasis on violence, racial hatred, and class
114:
in the 1930s. Refregier found inspiration in the tragic events. He was quoted as saying that "the richer we in possessions, the poorer we became in their enjoyment." He said the amazing part of that period was the "human quality, the humanist attitude that had" and the discovery that "the artist
312:
In a letter to the editor in 1952, the
President of the College Art Association said that "the pro-Chinese sentiments of one section of the murals and indication of the then existing wartime alliance with Russia of another section reflected the realities of the time." The protest was eventually
308:
were involved in
Congressional hearings to have the work removed. They claimed it had a communistic tone and "defamed pioneers and reflected negatively on California's past." Many believed that "no artist, however distinguished, escaped the heavy, if well meaning, hand of federal supervision."
142:
from 1937 to 1938. Refregier began to gain notoriety in his field, and so was given the opportunity to choose between two assignments for his first WPA—Federal Art
Project. He was given the choice of painting a mural in a courthouse, or in the children's ward of a hospital. Refregier chose the
286:
The style of this historic mural had many of
Refregier's key characteristics. The palette was composed of yellows, browns, and grays, punctuated by red in certain areas to evoke emotion. Earthy tones and the lack of bright colors remind viewers of the struggles and hardships he is depicting.
349:"Anton Refregier's Murals in the Rincon Post Office Annex, San Francisco: A Marxist History of California", by Darren Paul Trebel, A Thesis presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia, McIntire Department of Art History, University of Virginia, May 1992.
154:
and the
Section of Fine Arts of the Public Building Administration in the Treasury Department. He also worked as a teacher, supervising artist, and a mural supervisor. He collaborated with other contemporary artists, such as
131:—WPA (renamed in 1939 the "Works Projects Administration"), that created sponsorship of artists. When asked about the program Refregier said that it was "by the wisdom of one of the greatest Presidents we ever had,
209:, California. The Rincon Center once served as a United States post office and was known then as Rincon Annex. Refregier competed with a number of other artists for the commission, first funded as a project of the
236:
The mural consisted of 27 panels and covered 2,457 square feet (228.3 m) of wall space. The mural panels depicted various historical events from
California's past. It included the 1877 anti-
135:, it's common knowledge the WPA, a relief program, was established it was necessary to protect the skills of the American people." Refregier received $ 23.86 a week on the FAP—WPA rolls.
143:
latter, because did not want the pressure inherent in designing public artwork for a courthouse. He was assigned to the children's ward mural project at Green Point
Hospital, in
667:
336:
Refregier died in 1979 while in Moscow. He was working on a mural for a medical center in his home city. The same year, his Rincon Mural was placed under the protection of the
150:
After completing the hospital mural, Refregier's work became primarily government-sponsored projects. These included the World's Fair
Federal Works Buildings in the
115:
was not apart from the people." Refregier learned "a lot about life" during these times, and also learned more about the United States economy and government.
276:
83:
in 1921. After finishing school, Refregier moved back to New York in 1925. To earn a living, Refregier worked for interior decorators, creating replicas of
283:
because of his
Russian–USSR background, and his mural topics about social issues. None of this bothered Refregier, who was only concerned about his art.
79:
Refregier was born in Moscow and emigrated to the United States in 1920. After working various odd jobs in New York City, he earned a scholarship to the
321:
After the conflict, Refregier continued to work as an artist, teacher, professor, and judge for various competitions. He was a professor of painting at
682:
593:
672:
637:
192:
58:
110:. In an interview, Refregier referred to this time as the most wonderful period of his life. He was referring to the effects of the
632:
167:
652:
337:
548:
357:
326:
241:
210:
27:
at work on mural at WPA Building of the 1939 N.Y. World's Fair. Photographed for the Works Progress Administration.
677:
647:
642:
260:
264:
128:
80:
608:
19:
568:
151:
106:
Refregier returned to New York state during the late 1920s, and lived in the Mount Airy artists' colony in
71:, California. It depicts the city's history across twenty seven panels that he painted from 1940 to 1948.
627:
237:
107:
489:
Marquardt, Virginia (1993). "Art on the Political Front in America: From the Liberator to Art Front".
206:
228:
style. Work restarted after the war, in 1946, and took two years to complete at a cost of $ 26,000.
147:. The project took a little over a year to complete, and involved five other contributing artists.
88:
139:
183:
Anton Refregier won many mural competitions, and started to gain national renown as a muralist.
272:
256:
100:
132:
662:
657:
252:
598:
8:
603:
352:
124:
43:
588:
84:
535:
506:
483:
301:
527:
498:
362:
268:
111:
372:
552:
367:
225:
47:
621:
305:
245:
202:
176:
172:
156:
68:
64:
322:
96:
330:
539:
518:
Mathews, Jane de Hart (1976). "Art and Politics in Cold War America".
510:
118:
280:
531:
502:
144:
39:
24:
123:
He struggled as a muralist until the federal government began the
91:
paintings. He continued his creative development, and traveled to
267:
and fire; and further into the twentieth century with the city's
217:
35:
138:
Refregier was a faculty member and chairman of the Board at the
329:" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the
214:
92:
221:
54:
609:
San Francisco Mural Arts: "South of Market at Rincon Center"
197:
In 1940 he won the commission for his most famous work, the
271:
contributions, and culminating in the 1945 signing of the
467:"Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" January 30, 1968
325:
in New York from 1962 to 1964. In 1968, he signed the "
668:
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
313:
defeated by a group of artists and museum directors.
599:
Rincon Center: Slide show of the Rincon mural panels
589:
Figureworks.com/20th Century work — Anton Refregier
119:
Federal Art Project — Works Progress Administration
619:
34:(March 20, 1905 – October 10, 1979) was a
526:(4). American Historical Association: 762–787.
569:"Tape recorded interview with Anton Refregier"
95:in 1927. While there he studied under painter
193:History of San Francisco (Refregier murals)
46:commissions, and in teaching art. He was a
683:Section of Painting and Sculpture artists
549:"Anton Refregier: Renaissance Man of WPA"
488:
445:
443:
441:
439:
437:
418:
416:
414:
412:
279:. Some were suspicious of Refregier as a
484:Rogallery.com: Anton Refregier biography
402:
400:
398:
396:
394:
392:
390:
388:
166:
74:
42:active in Works Progress Administration
18:
566:
517:
620:
434:
409:
277:San Francisco War Memorial Opera House
186:
497:(1). College Art Association: 72–81.
385:
231:
673:Rhode Island School of Design alumni
338:National Register of Historic Places
16:Russian-American painter (1905–1979)
358:List of Federal Art Project artists
327:Writers and Editors War Tax Protest
213:. Refregier painted the mural with
13:
638:20th-century American male artists
594:Comrades in Art: "Anton Refregier"
546:
244:, and the Trial of trade unionist
53:Among his best-known works is his
14:
694:
613:Rincon mural panels image gallery
582:
211:Section of Painting and Sculpture
50:immigrant to the United States.
316:
261:First transcontinental railroad
242:San Francisco Waterfront Strike
633:20th-century American painters
567:Trovato, Joseph (1964-11-05).
520:The American Historical Review
461:
452:
425:
300:struggle." Republican Senator
201:, located in the lobby of the
1:
477:
265:1906 San Francisco earthquake
251:The mural also depicted: the
129:Works Progress Administration
81:Rhode Island School of Design
290:
60:The History of San Francisco
7:
653:Federal Art Project artists
343:
224:over plaster walls, in the
10:
699:
190:
152:1933 Chicago World's Fair
378:
297:History of San Francisco
255:; the 1860s building by
199:History of San Francisco
162:
140:American Artists School
678:American tax resisters
648:Social realist artists
643:American male painters
273:United Nations Charter
238:Chinese Sand Lot riots
180:
101:abstract expressionism
28:
170:
89:Jean-Honoré Fragonard
75:Life and early career
22:
555:on 27 September 2007
253:California Gold Rush
127:in 1935, within the
353:Federal Art Project
187:Rincon Center mural
125:Federal Art Project
99:, who was creating
44:Federal Art Project
628:American muralists
547:Sawyer, Michelle.
232:Subjects and style
181:
175:, detail from the
29:
304:and then US Rep.
302:Hubert B. Scudder
263:; the disastrous
63:, located in the
690:
578:
576:
575:
563:
561:
560:
551:. Archived from
543:
514:
471:
465:
459:
456:
450:
447:
432:
429:
423:
420:
407:
404:
363:American realism
269:Second World War
112:Great Depression
108:Croton-on-Hudson
85:François Boucher
698:
697:
693:
692:
691:
689:
688:
687:
618:
617:
585:
573:
571:
558:
556:
532:10.2307/1864779
480:
475:
474:
466:
462:
457:
453:
448:
435:
430:
426:
421:
410:
405:
386:
381:
346:
319:
293:
259:of the western
234:
195:
189:
165:
121:
77:
32:Anton Refregier
17:
12:
11:
5:
696:
686:
685:
680:
675:
670:
665:
660:
655:
650:
645:
640:
635:
630:
616:
615:
606:
604:Rincon Center"
601:
596:
591:
584:
583:External links
581:
580:
579:
564:
544:
515:
503:10.2307/777305
486:
479:
476:
473:
472:
460:
451:
433:
424:
408:
383:
382:
380:
377:
376:
375:
370:
368:Social realism
365:
360:
355:
350:
345:
342:
318:
315:
292:
289:
233:
230:
226:social realism
191:Main article:
188:
185:
164:
161:
120:
117:
76:
73:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
695:
684:
681:
679:
676:
674:
671:
669:
666:
664:
661:
659:
656:
654:
651:
649:
646:
644:
641:
639:
636:
634:
631:
629:
626:
625:
623:
614:
610:
607:
605:
602:
600:
597:
595:
592:
590:
587:
586:
570:
565:
554:
550:
545:
541:
537:
533:
529:
525:
521:
516:
512:
508:
504:
500:
496:
492:
487:
485:
482:
481:
470:
469:New York Post
464:
455:
446:
444:
442:
440:
438:
428:
419:
417:
415:
413:
403:
401:
399:
397:
395:
393:
391:
389:
384:
374:
373:Index: Murals
371:
369:
366:
364:
361:
359:
356:
354:
351:
348:
347:
341:
339:
334:
332:
328:
324:
314:
310:
307:
306:Richard Nixon
303:
298:
288:
284:
282:
278:
274:
270:
266:
262:
258:
257:Union Pacific
254:
249:
247:
243:
239:
229:
227:
223:
219:
216:
212:
208:
207:San Francisco
204:
203:Rincon Center
200:
194:
184:
178:
177:Rincon Center
174:
173:Francis Drake
169:
160:
158:
157:Byron Randall
153:
148:
146:
141:
136:
134:
130:
126:
116:
113:
109:
104:
102:
98:
94:
90:
86:
82:
72:
70:
69:San Francisco
66:
65:Rincon Center
62:
61:
56:
51:
49:
45:
41:
37:
33:
26:
23:Refregier on
21:
612:
572:. Retrieved
557:. Retrieved
553:the original
542:. 0002-8762.
523:
519:
513:. 1543-6322.
494:
490:
468:
463:
454:
427:
335:
323:Bard College
320:
317:Later career
311:
296:
294:
285:
250:
235:
198:
196:
182:
149:
137:
122:
105:
97:Hans Hofmann
78:
67:in downtown
59:
52:
31:
30:
663:1979 deaths
658:1905 births
491:Art Journal
331:Vietnam War
240:, the 1934
103:paintings.
622:Categories
574:2007-09-12
559:2007-09-12
478:References
246:Tom Mooney
431:Marquardt
291:Responses
281:communist
220:on white
133:Roosevelt
344:See also
145:Brooklyn
40:muralist
25:scaffold
540:1864779
449:Mathews
422:Trovato
275:in the
218:tempera
57:series
48:Russian
36:painter
538:
511:777305
509:
406:Sawyer
215:casein
179:murals
93:Munich
536:JSTOR
507:JSTOR
458:Anton
379:Notes
222:gesso
163:Works
55:mural
295:The
171:Sir
87:and
38:and
528:doi
499:doi
205:in
624::
611:—
534:.
524:81
522:.
505:.
495:51
493:.
436:^
411:^
387:^
340:.
333:.
159:.
577:.
562:.
530::
501::
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
