Ida Abelman facts for kids

Ida York Abelman (1910–2002) was an American artist. She was also a muralist, meaning she painted large pictures on walls. Ida was known for her art style called Social Realism. This style showed the lives of ordinary people. She was born Ida York in New York City. At 19, she married Larry Abelman, who was also an artist.

Learning to Be an Artist

Ida Abelman went to several schools. She studied art at places like Hunter College and the National Academy School of Fine Arts. She also attended the Grand Central School of Art and the City College of New York.

Ida was part of the American Artists' Congress. She also worked for the Federal Art Project and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). These were special programs. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created them during the New Deal. They helped artists find work during tough economic times.

Her Unique Art Style

Abelman was famous for her graphic art. She made these works during the Great Depression. Her art was influenced by several styles. These included Constructivism, Surrealism, and Social realism.

Her artwork often showed machines. She would combine machine parts with human or natural shapes. This helped her show both the good and bad sides of a world with more machines. Her art had a strong, unique look. She often used the whole paper for her designs. This made her prints look very powerful.

You can find her art in many books and museums. Some places include the University of Michigan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum. Her work is also at Queens College. You can also see it in books about American art from the 1930s.

Working with the Federal Art Project

Ida Abelman worked for the Graphic Arts Division. This was part of the Federal Art Project in New York City. She worked there from 1936 to 1939. Her artistic style was perfect for this project. She often drew industrial workers and parts of machines. These were common themes in her art.

Two of her well-known prints for the Federal Art Project show this style. They are Man and Machine, made around 1939. The other is Construction, from 1939.