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How did Social Realism use art to criticize injustice in American society?

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Painting by Gustave Courbet showing the artist at his easel in a crowded studio, surrounded by figures including a nude model, onlookers, and a child with a white dog. — Realism *The Painter's Studio*, showing Gustave Courbet at the easel, oil on canvas by Courbet, 1854–55; in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

Social Realism emerged in the 1930s as a powerful movement that used art to confront the harsh realities of American life during the Great Depression. By moving away from romanticized depictions, artists utilized naturalistic or expressionist styles to provide scathing critiques of systemic issues, including poverty, joblessness, political corruption, and labor-management conflicts.1

Artists associated with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) played a central role in this movement. They were commissioned to create murals and other works that brought sociopolitical commentary into public spaces. Influenced by the politically conscious work of Mexican muralists, these artists sought to expose the degradation of the national scene.1

Notable examples of this critical approach include:
* Ben Shahn: His painting The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti served as a bitter commentary on a politically motivated trial that resulted in the execution of two anarchists.1
* William Gropper: Used simplified, powerful caricatures to critique American public life, such as in his work The Senate.1
* Jack Levine: Employed sophisticated expressionist techniques to portray the moral and social decay he observed in American society.1