The passion of Sacco and Vanzetti
Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969.
1931-1932
The painting is titled “The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti” by Shahn, Ben, thought to be dated between 1931 and 1932. Shahn lived from 1898 to 1969. This is the only easel painting of the artist in a series of 23 gouaches depicting the elements of 20th century American realism, trials and subsequent execution of two Italian immigrants, Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco accused of murder during a robbery in Massachusetts. The circumstances surrounding their guilty verdict then and now continue to remain controversial as most believe that the men were condemned because of the prevalent anti-immigrant sentiments at the time and their declaration of being anarchistic.
The art was obtained by a keyword “realism” search conducted at the ARTstor. Interestingly, Shahn’s “The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti” is among the best exemplifications of American social realism. The painting is a stinging satirical work regarding the events surrounding the trial of Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco; which they received in the 1920s in the State of Massachusetts. The painting encloses layers of meanings that have garnered various interpretations by professionals within the field of iconographic analysis and social history.
The painting portrays Sacco and Vanzetti in open caskets, lying in front of a courthouse. The three men thought to feature prominently in the case overlook their bodies. Queerly, Judge Webster Thayer – who tried the case – can be seen seated in the courthouse with his right hand raised. The judge is dressed to his domain, complete with a judicial robe. The architectural details of the painting are stylistic and linear, giving such a composition strong vertical elements that are emphasized by the courthouse columns and the three men overlooking the bodies. The stairs on the other hand showcase strong horizontal bands echoed by the men lying in the caskets.
Shahn’s paintings are aesthetically grounded on events within the real world, and draw on photographs to a significant degree. “The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti” is a painting artistically crafted from several pieces of photos that were recombined into a single image. The painting is done on a gouache and tempera on canvas mounted on a composition board. Shahn used a mutated palette of brown, black, green and white with a swath of red.
Realism
Shahn directs his most scalding treatment within the painting to the Lowell Committee members who posit hard, uncaring faces. The three members of the Lowell Committee denied the defendants appeal against the ruling. Lowell’s trimming in the painting is red. Academically, such costumes are an indication of subject expertise, with red associated with theology. Perhaps, Shahn symbolically uses the trimming to make a coded reference to studied of religious faith, then in the process tries to back his title.
The other Committee members within the photo are depicted with dark suits. They have narrow, beady eyes, sloping shoulders and satirically long noses. The addition of their top hats draws them to resemble undertakers. At the time of the painting, top hats were expensive, and when wholly combined with the academic costumes and suits, the imminent contrast of working class men cannot be ignored. Such class difference was important to Shahn who used the issue to draw typical social realist critique of capitalism and its frequent exploitation of people. Highlighting the fact that Shahn did the painting at the beginning of the Great Depression, when the aftermaths of a falling economy and the 1929 stock market were beginning to take a toll, the economic message within the painting cannot go unnoticed. In fact, such could have only provocative to leftist given the sense among radicals and liberals that the ruling class had betrayed the nation.
The Lowell Committee is ostensibly attending the memorial, but their faces portray real hard feelings, with no display of grief or anguish. Importantly, the committee members do not even look down at the bodies. The execution could not have materialized without a ruling from the committee that such did no need a retrial, and Shan amplifies their hypocrisy by painting white lilies around the two men with a close resemblance to undertakers. The lilies signify the crucified Christ. Provided the Lowell Committees decision, holding the lilies is a fraudulent representation of the mourning gesture. Here, two clear messages are conveyed by Shahn; that Sacco and Vanzetti were innocent and their death was murder – martyrs.
The judge’s right hand is raised as if swearing to tell the truth to himself or as a witness telling the truth. The gesture is a depiction of utter hypocrisy, as he is the single most responsible person for the situation. The judge had a blatant and complete disregard of evidence presented to satisfy his personal hatreds. In the judge’s eyes, the “anarchist bastards” – as he unceremoniously referred to the suspects, and thereof “damned dagos” had to be executed. Such sardonic mockery of the judge is more evident in this photograph, more than any other in the series. This is a clear representation of a broken judicial system, upon which a society could not rely.
The painting is set within the context of a courthouse where the trial allegedly took place. The architectural choice of the art is meant to convey a symbolic meaning, and specifically, in this case, it is believed that Shahn intends to establish a contradiction. In reality, courthouses are meant to symbolize representations of rationality and the laws of the land, but contrary, it stands for the aborted justice that Vanzetti and Sacco received.
On a closer look, the upper left corner reveals something of a close resemblance to a lamp post, but on close examination reveals a rope wrapping around the post. Possibly, this is used as a reference to the fasces, bundles of wooden rods that enclose an axe ritually carried by the attendants of the Roman magistrates, a symbol of their authority to behead and scourge. In the painting, Shahn replaces the axe with a modern light, a visual choice made to represent a contradiction.
From the painting, it is apparent that Shahn does not wish to communicate his points through overwhelming emotions, but yet the art proves to be intense. By juxtaposing symbols like the dead bodies and the courthouse, or the injustice of the working class men against the wealthy judge and his robes, Shahn puts the happenings surrounding the case in an economic and social context. The artist hoped that his work would provoke people to work against ignorance and prejudice. The author powerfully condemns the American Society in the 20th century using “The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti,” a reason why he exemplifies social realism so well.
Indeed, the painting’s topic provides an early example of how Shahn used art to highlight social injustices. Shah successfully melds together the realism within the American content, the formalities, and politics of his work through art. As such, his art not only works to show the state of the society when working on this piece of art but also what is exemplified today.
Bibliography
Shahn, Ben. “The passion of Sacco and Vanzetti.” Estate of Ben Shahn. 1931. Estate of Ben Shahn. Accessed February 17, 2017. http://collection.whitney.org/object/1022.
[1] Ben Shahn, “The passion of Sacco and Vanzetti,” Estate of Ben Shahn, 1931, accessed February 17, 2017, http://collection.whitney.org/object/1022.
