Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11
Hulda D RobbinsThe Protestor1934
1934
$4,870.81
£3,572
€4,147.77
CA$6,711.74
A$7,377.84
CHF 3,873.33
MX$87,727.85
NOK 49,742.39
SEK 45,309.94
DKK 30,990.49
About the Item
Hulda D Robbins
The Protestor
1910-2011
Oil on canvas, signed upper right, dated '1934' verso
Image size: 36 1/4 x 26 inches (92 x 66 cm)
Original frame
Provenance:
Artist's estate
This painting depicts a man hunched over a table, clasping a hammer in his hand as he nails a sign to a wooden post. This man is a protestor, objecting to the poor economic and labour conditions of America during the Great Depression. Robbins was part of the WPA movement, a government-sponsored programme that sought to financially aid artists during the Great Depression. The programme was soon criticised for spreading socialist messages - for example, depicting a protesting worker, as in this painting.
The WPA was an extensive movement and had no cohesive style. The visual characteristics of this work take clear influence from the Expressionist movement. Robbins was heavily inspired by the works of Kathe Kollwitz during her studies at the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin, and the extent of Kollwitz’s impact on Robbins’ work is readily apparent in this painting. The simple colour palette of muted browns create a bleak atmosphere to the work, accentuating the dire living conditions of the working classes in America in the 1930s. The background and clothing of the man are blocky and unspecific, but his hands and face are rendered in exquisite detail. Robbins captures the light on the man’s hands, the redness of his knuckles, and the bending of the joints in his hand masterfully. The man’s face is pallid, once more accenting the painting’s sombre mood, and the lines in his face are deep and dark - this is clearly a man who has not shied away from hard work.
Not only is this painting a truly striking example of American Expressionism, but it also depicts the social impact of the Great Depression, marking this work as a historical testament to those who fought to improve social conditions across America.
Hulda D Robbins
Robbins was born in Atlanta, Georgia, as the daughter of immigrants from Berlin. She was initially a student at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art before moving to study at the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin, where she became heavily influenced by the work of Kathe Kollwitz. She then returned to America to further her study at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
In 1940, Robbins moved to New York, where she started her art career alongside teaching. She produced a number of lithographs, woodcuts, and serigraphs during her time in New York. Her early period is marked by more realistic and grounded urban scenes, whilst her mid-1940s works began to become more abstract. Some of her works were exhibited in the 1940 Museum of Modern Arts show ‘Prints Under $10’. The show aimed to bring affordable art to wide audiences. Besides MoMA, Robbins exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts in 1947 and 1951 as part of the National Serigraph Society.
Robbins moved in 1963 to be closer to her parents in Ventnor, New Jersey. She passed away in Ventnor in 2011. She is best known for her screenprints and was part of the group of screenprinting pioneers that included Ruth Gikow, Edward Landon, Max Cohn and Ruth Chaney. Her works can be found in prestigious collections such as the Noyes Museum, the National Gallery (Washington), and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
- Creator:Hulda D Robbins (1910 - 2011, American)
- Creation Year:1934
- Dimensions:Height: 36.25 in (92.08 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU52416999672
About the Seller
5.0
Gold Seller
Premium sellers maintaining a 4.3+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 2007
1stDibs seller since 2014
85 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 3 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: London, United Kingdom
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllSelf Portrait, Mid-20th Century Oil
Located in London, GB
Sheila Holland
1932-2002
Self Portrait
Oil on canvas, signed lower right
Image size: 30 x 22 inches
This is a wonderfully dynamic self portrait by the female artist Shelia Holland. ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Portrait of the Artist
s Wife
By Peter Kuhfeld
Located in London, GB
Peter Kuhfeld
Portrait of the Artist's Wife
b. 1952
Oil on board, signed lower right, titled 'Cathryn' and dated 'Oct 1983' verso
Image size: 12 1/2 x 11 1/2 (32 x 29.3 cm)
Original...
Category
20th Century Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Portrait of a Young Girl Oil Painting 20th Century
Located in London, GB
Circle of Thomas Derrick
British 1885 - 1954
Oil on panel, unsigned
Image size: 21 1/2 x 14 inches (55 x 36 cm)
Hand made frame
Category
1950s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
An Irish Rogue
Located in London, GB
Oil on board, signed and dated '44 lower right
Image size: 15 x 19 inches (38 x 48.25 cm)
Contemporary style hand made frame
This portrait of an unknown man certainly captures the personality of the chosen sitter. With hat tilted to the side, eyebrow lifted and a half smile of the man's face, one gets the impression that he is finding the whole process of having his portrait painted rather amusing.
Still in Ireland at this time, the sitter is likely to have been a friend of the artist, from Belfast.
In 1944 there was a group exhibition in Belfast held at the textile business of William Ewart & Sons on Bedford Street. Here Smith showed his works alongside the artists Colin Middleton...
Category
1940s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Angel in Prayer
Located in London, GB
Attrib. Alphonse Muraton
Angel in Prayer
1824-1911
Oil on canvas, unsigned
Image size: 27 9/16 x 23 inches (70.1 x 58.4 cm)
This painting of an angel in prayer is immediately visual...
Category
19th Century Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Musician
Located in London, GB
This head and shoulders portrait is an outstanding example of the breadth, force and beauty of this artist's pictorial manner and abilities. This captivating portrait features a musi...
Category
Late 17th Century Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$15,272
You May Also Like
C
By Ron Blumberg
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Presenting a rare, early watercolor by American artist Ron Blumberg.
"Morning in New York" is from the rarest period of the artist; an original watercolor, signed, dated 1934, off...
Category
1930s Figurative Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
Price Upon Request
The Critic
By Ron Blumberg
Located in West Hollywood, CA
American artist Ron Blumberg was classically trained at La Grande Academie Chaumiere in Paris, 1932, before moving to New York where he became a National Academy artist and a member of the Art Students League.
"The Critic...
Category
1940s Figurative Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
R. E. Deschryver - 20th Century Oil, The Strike
Located in Corsham, GB
A striking scene depicting workers who appeared to have downed tools, leaving an industrial site. The artist captures the scene in rich, earthy tones and an impressionist style. Sign...
Category
20th Century Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Chandleresque Pastiche , signed and dated
Located in Douglas, Isle of Man
Raymond Chandler 1888 -1959, was an American born British novelist and screenwriter. Chandler became a famous detective novelist and popular pulp fiction writer, his novels were deve...
Category
Mid-20th Century Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Self Portrait
Located in Douglas, Isle of Man
Sir John Kiffin Williams O.B.E. R.A. 1918-2006, was a Welsh landscape painter. Kiffin Williams as he was known lived on Anglesey and was widely regarded as one of the greatest We...
Category
1960s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
$1,329
Russin
By Vilma Eckl
Located in Wien, 9
The extensive work of Vilma Eckl covers a period of more than seventy years. Her incomparable artistic talent and her essential contribution to the history of art can be seen in her ...
Category
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$14,840