Depression Bread Line, by George Segal (1991)

Material: bronze, wood and cast / Measures: 108 x 148 x 36 inches

The last artwork by Segal that we will share here is Depression Bread Line, made in 1991, year in which his sculptures shift from being completely white to feature figures in bronze.

The sign in the exhibition explains that this piece was commissioned by the US Government as part of Franklin Roosevelt's monument and to remember the context of his presidency. Segal's artwork describes the mood of the people during the Great Depression. It is a large sculpture portraying a group of 5 men, dressed with coats and hats waiting in line to receive food. As unemployment and hunger devastated the people, many gathered in churches or social clubs to receive something to eat. 

The figures represent men of different ages and statures, all of them showing despair in their features.   Segal's skill to express the suffering of those years is incredible. In spite of being close to one another in the line, they don't communicate with each other. In fact, they look like ghostly figures in a desolated landscape. 

The fourth figure in Depression Bread Line was modeled after Segal himself.