Atlantic and Pacific

Art Historical Context

Thomas Flavell's "Atlantic and Pacific," created around 1940, exemplifies the public art initiatives of the Works Progress Administration during the late years of the Great Depression. As a pastel drawing on paper gifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1943 by the Pennsylvania WPA, the work the museum's Modern and Contemporary Art collection, highlighting how federal programs supported artists and preserved visual records of American life. Its modest dimensions of roughly 19 by 24 inches make it an intimate study suited to the soft, blendable qualities of pastel, a medium prized for its luminous effects and ability to render architectural forms with both precision and atmospheric warmth. Classified simply as a drawing and tagged with buildings, the piece likely portrays urban or industrial structures, capturing the era's built environment with a focus on everyday American scenes. Created just before World War II, such WPA-sponsored artworks served both aesthetic and documentary purposes, offering viewers today a tangible link to mid-twentieth-century cultural efforts that democratized art through public funding and exhibition. Flavell's use of pastel underscores the medium's significance in modern drawing practices, allowing for quick yet evocative renderings that bridge fine art and accessible illustration. This work stands as a modest yet meaningful example of how regional artists contributed to a national visual heritage.

About the Artist

Thomas Flavell · 1906–1975

Thomas Flavell (1906–1975) was born in Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, and developed his artistic talents in the vibrant cultural milieu of Philadelphia. He studied at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where he trained under the guidance of Grace Thorp Gemberling, honing his skills in drawing and painting. This rigorous education equipped him with a modernist sensibility, emphasi...