Label
Label from 2014.Art for Social Change:
Despite the decreasing demand for labor as the economy shrank, many workers went on strike for better wages and working conditions and also to secure the legal right to organized labor unions, bargain collectively, and to strike without fear of reprisals. In this print, the placement of foreground figures right next to those in the middle and backgrounds flattens out the picture space. This cramped space emphasized the necessity of secrecy when discussing strike plans at a time when unions were often under attack. With the figures pushed up to the very edge of the painting, the viewer feels like s/he is part of the discussion.
Dorothy Rutka began working for the Cleveland branch of the WPA/FAP c. 1935-1936. She was a member of the Artists' Union and the American Artists' Congress.