Description

Mervin Jules‘ Dust is one of the most powerful commentaries of the Dust Bowl era. In this work, we see a tractor—supposed to be the salvation of the overworked farmer—sitting unused in fields so overworked that they had nothing left to give.  This print, made while Jules was a student in Baltimore, was exhibited in the first national exhibition of the American Artists’ Congress as part of 30 duplicate “socially-conscious” exhibitions held in 30 American cities in December 1936, with the activist agenda of encouraging contact between artists and their audiences and furthering the democratization of art.

This print was produced in an edition of 30, of which three or more of the prints are held in museums (including the National Gallery of Art, the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Northwestern University, and La Salle University Art Museum).