ILLINOIS HISTORICAL ART PROJECT

Artists of Chicago Past and Present by Clarence J. Bulliet

Prominent Chicago Daily News art critic C. J. Bulliet began a series detailing the histories of local artists on February 23, 1935 during the depths of the Great Depression. While many of the artists he profiled had already deceased those who were still practicing art gained significant noteriety from being featured by so powerful a literary force as Bulliet. His papers were donated by the family and today reside in the Archives of American Art.

Due to the harsh economic period Bulliet's promotion was a significant benefit to artists, many of whom earned a living working in the Federal Art Project (FAP), which was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The FAP was initiated in August  1935, only six months after Bulliet had begun his series. Interestingly, Bulliet ceased his series with No. 106 on September 30, 1939, the same month the FAP was discontinued.

There were some gaps in Bulliet's coverage. Up until October 17, 1936 the columns ran regularly, generally weekly, through No. 79. The series ceased for six months then began again on April 10, 1937 with No. 80 and ran mostly weekly until July 10, 1937. The final period began with No. 87 on May 20, 1939. Why there were gaps in the dates of concurrent articles is unknown. On September 30th 1939 he wrote under a headline "Interrupted Again!": Again with the opening of a new art season and the consequent pressing demand for space for current happenings, the series artists of Chicago is interrupted after today as a weekly feature. New studies of our artists will be added from time to time as lulls permit, and the series will be resumed weekly in the late spring and summer. Unfotunatley, the series was never to appear again as promised. 

Click on an artist to see their feature from the column   "Artists of Chicago Past and Present" by C. J. Bulliet