Committed artists of the 30s

[Joseph Cerrato]

Sorry for introducing an entirely unrelated topic but I thought some of you
might be of help.
 Yesterday in Paris, I went to see an exhibition of American artists of the
thirties  (New Deal Art). About 100 engravings  and lithographs were shown. I
knew nothing about that form of committed (and subsidized) art which presents a
picture of the American working class at the time of the depression years and
the New Deal. Some of them brought to mind themes familiar to a Pynchon reader.
 The curators for the exhibition had chosen to move from the  somewhat naively
optimistic representations of machines and technology of  engravings close to
Machinism and Fururism in their exaltation of progresss and industry, to a more
somber  and desperately ironic vision  leaving little if any room for hope. I'd
like to have more information about artists like Hugo Gellert (His  _By
Products_  is definitely Pynchonesque IMHO), Harry Sternberg, Thomas Hart
Benton, Howard Cook, Alexander Hogue, Benton Murdoch Spruance. 
References on these artists and others working in the same line who  held
congress in 1936 ( so the exhibition leaflet says) would be appreciated. 
Anyone?

Joseph