Introduction
One holiday I really enjoy is Easter. Every year, my family gathers together on the holiday, and we eat lunch together before having an Easter egg hunt. We also eat hard-boiled eggs whose shells have been dyed various colors and decorated with stickers. As someone who loves celebrating the holiday, I figured that it would be fun to showcase 100 years of Easter-related art.
1920s: Easter Morning (1926) by Wanda Gág
Easter Morning is a work of graphic art created by American artist Wanda Gág in 1926. This artwork depicts a view of a chair with potted plants in it in front of a radiator and an open door. I like this artwork because it depicts Easter as an ordinary day rather than some amazing celebration. It shows that celebrating the holiday is part of one’s daily life.
1930s: Greetings by / Western / Union / for / Easter / April 12, 1936. [blank form,] (1936) by Walter Beach Humphrey
Greetings by / Western / Union / for / Easter / April 12, 1936. [blank form] was created by Walter Beach Humphrey in 1936. This artwork is an advertisement that was designed for the Western Union Telegraph Company. I like this artwork because it reminds me of the Easter-themed greeting cards and advertisements that I saw as a kid. It shows that somebody born 100 years before me would have also had similar experiences with these.
1940s: Easter Sunday, Harlem (1947) by Henri Cartier-Bresson
Easter Sunday, Harlem is a photograph that was taken in 1947 by Henri Cartier-Bresson. The people depicted in the picture are a woman named Victoria Hall and an unknown man. It was shot in New York, New York, United States of America.
I like this artwork because it reminds me of the Palm Sunday church services that I have attended, as I usually do not go to church on Easter. During these services, everybody is typically dressed formally, similarly to Hall and the unknown man in this image. It also shows that the tradition of attending an Easter church service is an old one and unites many people throughout the years.
1950s: Egg, Easter (1951)
Egg Easter is a decorative Easter egg that was made by an unknown artist in 1951. It was made in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States of America. The egg is covered by a blue and white design.
I like this egg because it reminds me of the hard-boiled eggs that my family decorates with colored dyes and stickers every Easter. Of course, we are not artists, so this egg is much more aesthetically pleasing and utilizes a more complex design. It is a shame that the name of this artwork’s creator is unknown because it is a very pretty egg.
1960s: Easter Sunday Love-In. Malibu Canyon, CA, 1968. (1968) by Lisa Law
Easter Sunday Love-In. Malibu Canyon, CA, 1968. It is a photograph that was taken by Lisa Law in 1968. It was shot in Calabasas, California, United States of America. It depicts a countercultural Easter celebration that Law was partaking in.
I like this artwork because it depicts a large gathering of people celebrating the holiday, which reminds me of public events held on the holiday today. I also like that the picture was taken by a member of the counterculture movement of the 1960s rather than an outsider. This means that the photo was taken by somebody who both enjoyed the event and understood its purpose.
1970s: Egg, Decorated (1972) by Unknown Artist
Egg, Decorated is a decorated Easter egg that was created in 1972 in Connecticut, United States of America. The egg is beautifully decorated with a complex and colorful pattern, even more so than Egg, Easter (1951).
This artwork reminds me of the Easter eggs that my family decorates every year. However, those eggs’ designs are nowhere near as complex or beautiful as this egg’s.
1980s: Annette Gonzales, Housewife, and her Sister Lydia Rank, Secretary, Santuario de Chimayo, New Mexico, Easter Sunday, 4/6/80 (1980) by Richard Avedon
Annette Gonzales, Housewife, and her sister, Lydia Rank, Secretary, Santuario de Chimayo, New Mexico, Easter Sunday, 4/6/80, is a photograph that was taken by Richard Avedon on Easter of 1980 and printed in 1985. It depicts sisters Anette Gonzales and Lydia Rank. Gonzales was a housewife, and Rank was a secretary. This photo was taken in New Mexico, United States of America.
I like this photo because it shows the differences between the two sisters. For instance, one is dressed formally for Easter while the other is dressed casually.
1990s: Handmade Wooden Egg (1992) by Ira Blount
Handmade Wooden Egg is a wooden sculpture of an Easter egg created by Ira Blount in 1992. It is sculpted out of multiple types of wood. It remains unpainted, unlike most ornamental eggs, because Blount appreciated the look of unpainted wood.
I like this artwork because the fact that it is unpainted does not cause it to look unfinished. Rather, the combination of different woods and the smoothness of the egg make it clear that this is a finished art piece. It also looks nice and would make a good Easter decoration.
2000s: Poke Easter (2004) by Brandon Lee
Poke Easter is a piece of Pokémon fan art created in 2004 by Brandon Lee. Lee used a computer to make an artwork of a Chansey (a species of Pokémon) in a grassy field surrounded by Easter eggs and holding one.
I like this artwork because it shows how pop culture can inspire people to make fan art. I also like that the Smithsonian and the National Museum of the American Indian were willing to preserve a piece of fan art for future generations.
2010s: Young Kate Frommert enjoys all the Easter trimmings at the Three Georges Southern Chocolate Candy Store on Dauphin Street, Mobile, Alabama (2010) by Carol M. Highsmith
Young Kate Frommert enjoys all the Easter Trimmings at the Three Georges Southern Chocolate Candy Store on Dauphin Street, Mobile, Alabama is a photograph that was taken in Mobile, Alabama, United States of America on March 17th, 2010. It depicts a little girl named Kate Frommert at the counter of the Three Georges Southern Chocolate Candy Store. The candy store is decorated for Easter.
I like this artwork because it shows a glimpse into Frommert’s daily life around this time. It also reminds me of my own childhood, as I was also a young child in 2010.
2020s: Girls dressed for Easter, 37-40 Junction Blvd., Queens (2021) by Camilo J. Vergara
Girls dressed for Easter, 37-40 Junction Blvd., Queens is a photograph that was taken on Easter of 2021 by Camilo J. Vergara. He shot this photo in New York, New York, United States of America. It depicts two little girls dressed nicely for Easter. They are accompanied by two adult women.
I like this artwork because it shows a normal day in the lives of the people depicted. The little girls also remind me of my sister and me. To this day, we often celebrate holidays together alongside our family members. I have fond memories of celebrating Easter with her when we were little.