The Bread Line was likely painted in the early 1930s, at the onset of this transformative era, when those suddenly out of work or whose wages were greatly reduced came to rely on local charities to procure food for themselves and their families. As evidence of his strong color sense, Thal used the brick red and chalky granite tones of the city’s architecture and sidewalks as an unassuming backdrop, over which he strategically placed similar bright blue and green passages to guide the viewer’s eyes throughout the scene. The bold blue attire of the figures at lower center corresponds to blues found in the nearby awning, the fire escape overhead, and in the glass of the windows, while the citrine green of the blonde’s dress is echoed in the tree’s leaves and in the bits of produce offered by the grocer on the far side of the composition. While the painting’s theme is unquestionably tragic, Thal’s flashes of vivid color enliven the scene, as he renders the view on a decidedly warm, sunny day, and captures a sense of camaraderie among the crowd, a commiseration of their shared situation.

Click here to read full artist biography