Tomorrow's Bread

Dateca. 1939

Credit LineGift of Carl and Marian Mullis

Dimensions8 1/2 x 13 1/4 in. (21.6 x 33.7 cm)

Object number1997.009.005

Label TextMangravite, the son of an Italian naval officer, came to the United States as a young boy. He achieved the American dream by becoming a successful artist, an author, and college professor. The theme of this print -- the precariousness of farming and the power of nature to thwart man's efforts-reflects the farmer's uneasy relationship with the land during the Dust Bowl and Depression years. No longer a source of bounty, the land is threatened by the lowering sky, as a storm closes in on the crop of wheat. A lone female figure swiftly gathers the last sheaves together, hoping to save "tomorrow's bread" from the storm. With the effects of the Depression still felt throughout the U.S., the plight of this lone figure was recognizable to most Americans. The twisting forms of the sheaves and the active lines of the figure and landscape give a sense of movement and urgency, underscoring the anxiety of the scene.
Exhibition HistoryThe Art of Collecting: Recent Acquisitions at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Michael C. Carlos Museum, November 8, 1997 - January 4, 1998
Cultivating America: Visions of the Landscape in Twentieth-Century Prints, Michael C. Carlos Museum, March 8 - June 29, 2008

ProvenanceEx coll. Carl Mullis, United States.

Status

Not on view

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