Houses and Street 1946

O. Louis Guglielmi created “Houses and Street” using oil on canvas. Although undated, it seems likely to have been made in the 1930s. Guglielmi often turned to urban landscapes, like this one, to grapple with the effects of modernity on American life. The buildings are simplified into geometric forms, almost like children's blocks, but the palette is muted and somber. The effect is eerie and unsettling. During the interwar period, many artists were concerned with the alienating effects of industrialization and social changes. The clean lines and flattened perspectives recall the Italian “Metafisica” movement, which aimed to portray the strangeness of familiar places. But Guglielmi gives the style a distinctly American inflection through his choice of subject matter, creating a specifically American version of modern alienation. By researching the artist’s biography and the cultural context of the time, we can better understand the social meanings embedded in these seemingly simple shapes.