1920s Cultural Expressions
Cultural Change in America
• The 1920s and 1930s were important
decades for American art, literature, and
music
• Writers and artists focused on a realistic
portrayal of life in America during this
period
• They captured the experiences of the rich
and the poor, Blacks and Whites
Georgia O’Keeffe
• O’Keeffe believed
that art was the
expression of the
artist’s personal ideas
and feelings
Early Work
• O’Keeffe’s early
work captured the
natural beauty of
flowers and the
power of
industrialization
in urban
landscapes
• O’Keeffe often
visited and
finally moved
New Mexico in
1949, where the
focus of her work
turned to desert
scenes of the
Southwest.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Fitzgerald wrote about the
lives of rich, white
Americans and Europeans
during the Jazz Age of the
1920s.
• Though he never achieved
fame and fortune during his
lifetime, he is now viewed
as one of the most
identifiable authors of the
1920s.
• Fitzgerald’s novels
included:
– This Side of Paradise (1920)
– Flappers and Philosophers
(1920), which included a
short story entitled, “Bernice
Bobs Her Hair”
– Tales of the Jazz Age (1922)
– The Great Gatsby (1925)
John Steinbeck
• Steinbeck was an
author who portrayed
the strength of poor
migrant workers during
the Great Depression of
the 1930s
• Many consider him to
be the “voice” of the
Great Depression
• Steinbeck’s work
included:
–
–
–
–
Of Mice and Men
Cannery Row
East of Eden
The Grapes of Wrath
“Uniquely” American Music
• Aaron Copland and George Gershwin
captured the spirit of American through
their music.
• Many of their songs are still used today in
popular movies, television shows, and
commercials
The Gershwin Brothers
• George and his brother
Ira earned fame by
composing music for
more than two dozen
Broadway shows and
Hollywood movies
• George earned individual
fame by composing songs
such as:
– Swanee (1919)
– Rhapsody in Blue (1924)
– An American in Paris (1928)
Gershwin’s music
Aaron Copland
• The son of Jewish
immigrants, Copland was
one of the most respected
American classical
composers of the twentieth
century.
• By incorporating popular
forms of American music
such as jazz and folk into his
compositions, his pieces
were exciting and
innovative.
Copeland became famous for works, such as:
• Rodeo (1942)
• Billy the Kid (1938)
• Fanfare for the Common Man (1942)
• Appalachian Spring (1945), for which he
won the Pulitzer Prize for Music