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Archives of American Art
Oral history interview with John Saccaro
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.saccar64
- Creators:
-
Saccaro, John M., 1913-1981McChesney, Mary FullerNew Deal and the Arts Oral History Project
- Dates:
-
1964 June 18
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
37 PagesTranscript
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview of John Saccaro conducted 1964 June 18, by Mary McChesney, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Saccaro discusses the primary influences on San Francisco art in the 1930s and how he started working for the WPA. He describes the working conditions on each of the projects are in detail. Robert McChesney sat in on the interview, and he at times helps Saccaro remember facts. (The two of them worked of the same mural project at Treasure Island.) McChesney and Saccaro mention 10 to 15 of their coworkers and reminisce about what became of them. None seems to have continued painting. Saccaro's first solo show (1939) is mentioned; he describes meeting Arshile Gorky near this time. The interview concludes with a consideration of the artist's place in society and how difficult it is to become established as a painter. Much attention is given to the fate of Saccaro's coworkers and the day-to-day experience of being a WPA artist. He discusses little of his own style, which remained by his own admission relatively unadventurous until after the war.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
John Saccaro (1913-1981) was a painter from San Francisco, Calif.
Administration
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Digital Content
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
More Information
General
General
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 4 min.
Keywords
Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
---|---|---|---|
Federal aid to the arts | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Painting, American | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Painters -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Sound recordings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Interviews | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project | Corporate Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions