Ben Shahn and art as weapons for decency.

This is an intellectual biography of the American Jewish artist, Ben Shahn which traces the development of his philosophy of art and life throughout his career. His art and life reveal the complex and sometimes problematic relationship of art, social content, and politics. Shahn should be considered an intellectual and critic, who happened to employ visual images for commentary rather than the traditional pen and/or speech. Like the left intellectuals, Shahn painted, wrote, and spoke about the role of the artist and art in society, the necessity of engagement, the importance of protecting civil liberties, and his fears of a highly mechanized, technological society.He believed that the artist should be allowed the freedom to create, to present their works--even if critical--to society, and to motivate action. Additionally, Shahn was active in New Deal art projects, various political campaigns, labor unions, the civil rights movement, the test ban struggle, and the anti-Vietnam war protests. Placing Shahn in the broader framework of intellectual and cultural life in America between the 1930s and 1960s offers an opportunity to more fully understand the left and the place of art in modern society.In carrying out the tasks outlined above, the accepted tools of critical biography have been employed-factual evidence, sources, letters, and a close examination of his art work. The chapters are chronologically arranged within which various themes are explored.More than a New Deal humanist, Ben Shahn was a lifelong advocate of human welfare, values, and dignity. This study strives to overcome the identification of the artist with one era, the Depression, and one genre, Social Realism, to provide an overview of his life and career that effectively demonstrates the connection between art of social content and politics.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Northern Arizona University, 1997.School code: 0391