City Life
City Life by Victor Arnautoff, 1934.
Image courtesy of the San Francisco Arts Commission.
Victor Arnautoff (1896-1979) was born in Russia. He worked with Diego Rivera in Mexico and then came to San Francisco where he attended the California School of Fine Arts. He was supervisor for the Coit Tower project, later taught at Stanford University and in the later years of his life returned to Russia, where he died. His other New Deal work includes murals at the Presidio Chapel and George Washington High School.
City Life depicts the dynamic street life of San Francisco, showing many significant landmarks and making numerous cultural references. Charlie Chaplin’s film City Lights is advertised on a billboard. A signpost marks the corner of Montgomery and Washington streets, then the center of San Francisco‘s art scene. Although not shown in this mural, the Montgomery Block, live/work studios for artists and writers was on this corner. (This building was home to San Francisco writers and artists for over 100 years until it was demolished in 1959; it was eventually replaced by the iconic Transamerica Pyramid. Nearby were Ralph Stackpole’s studio, across Montgomery Street, where Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo stayed, and the Black Cat Café, the main gathering place for the arts community.
City Life
City Life by Victor Arnautoff, 1934.
Image courtesy of the San Francisco Arts Commission.
Victor Arnautoff (1896-1979) was born in Russia. He worked with Diego Rivera in Mexico and then came to San Francisco where he attended the California School of Fine Arts. He was supervisor for the Coit Tower project, later taught at Stanford University and in the later years of his life returned to Russia, where he died. His other New Deal work includes murals at the Presidio Chapel and George Washington High School.
City Life depicts the dynamic street life of San Francisco, showing many significant landmarks and making numerous cultural references. Charlie Chaplin’s film City Lights is advertised on a billboard. A signpost marks the corner of Montgomery and Washington streets, then the center of San Francisco‘s art scene. Although not shown in this mural, the Montgomery Block, live/work studios for artists and writers was on this corner. (This building was home to San Francisco writers and artists for over 100 years until it was demolished in 1959; it was eventually replaced by the iconic Transamerica Pyramid. Nearby were Ralph Stackpole’s studio, across Montgomery Street, where Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo stayed, and the Black Cat Café, the main gathering place for the arts community.