In the 1930s and 1940s, many United States artists turned their back on European modern art trends and instead turned their attention to American life. Rather than painting abstract nudes or Parisian city scenes, artists looked to their own country’s downtowns and farm fields to create accessible images that would appeal directly to the American people. For many artists, this meant grappling with the difficult Great Depression years of the 1930s, when widespread unemployment and poverty put the American Dream out of reach for millions. Images of dirty city streets and barren, drought-stricken pastures depicted the painful reality of the recent American experience. Other artists, in contrast, painted an ideal and abundant nation, untouched by trials, difficulties, and broken promises. These images served as an escape in the present, hope for a better tomorrow, and above all affirmed America’s resilience and grit. Whether celebrating or critiquing the country, those artists painting “the American scene” all wanted to make art grown from the nation’s grassroots—not just a second-rate imitation of European art.