Images of the 20th Century KI E C H E L
F I N E
ART
c ov er i m ag e Flood by Thomas Hart Benton 1937, Casein on canvas on panel, 13 x 22 1/2 inches
K I E C H E L
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1
th o m a s H A RT B E N TO N
(18 89-19 75 )
Lumber Mill 1928, Oil and tempera on panel 23 x 29 inches, Signed lower left “Benton” Annotated on verso “‘Lumber Mill’ Tempera glazed with oil, painted 1928 Benton” Pr ov e n a n c e
T. H. Benton and R.P. Benton Testamentary Trusts E x h i b i t i o n H i s to ry
October 14 to November 15, 1929, Delphic Studios, New York City, New York 1980, Benton’s Bentons, The Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, Lawrence 1984, Thomas Hart Benton: Chronicler of America’s Folk Heritage, Edith C. Blum Art Institute, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York 1992, Thomas Hart Benton, Museo d’Arte Moderna, Citta di Lugano, Electa, Milan, Italy
T hi s i s o ne o f a s m all g ro u p of remarkable paintings
Lumber Camp (scenes of West Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky).
that Benton executed in 1928 after taking a long sketching trip
Each group consisted of a key painting or paintings and a dozen or
of six months or more around the United States with his student,
more pen-and-ink sketches.
Bill Hayden. The 1928 trip marked a major turning point in Benton’s career and essentially marks the divide between his early
Quite a number of the lumber camp drawings have been
achievement as an experimental modernist and his later career as
published although there must be others that are still scattered
a major painter of the American scene.
in private collections. They often feature trains as does the one reproduced in Mathew Baigell’s monograph of Benton from 1974
From October 14 to November 15, 1929, Benton held an exhibition
(plate 58, Loggin’ Train), or the one reproduced in Emily Braun’s
of drawings and paintings based on his 1928 trip at the Delphic
book on the America Today murals (page 41, figure 6).
Studios in New York. This painting was included in that exhibition where it hung alongside works that are now recognized
This is the key painting of the lumber camp series, and in the
as classic examples of Benton’s achievement: Boomtown
Delphic exhibition it served as an sort of anchor for a cluster of
(Memorial Art Gallery of Rochester), Cattle Loading West Texas
related drawings. What’s fascinating is how it combines a sense of
(Addison Gallery of American Art), Louisiana Rice Threshing
on-the-spot observation with an ability to organize the forms in a
(Brooklyn Museum), Cotton Loading, Red River Landing (private
rhythmic way.
collection), and Steel Mill. The widely praised exhibition included a glowing review by noted scholar Lloyd Goodrich who compared
Not long after the Delphic Studios show, Benton created his
what Benton had achieved to the writings of Mark Twain.
mural America Today. In it he devoted about half of the panel, Midwest, to lumber camp scenes. Interestingly, in the America
The Delphic Studios exhibition was divided into four groups: King
Today mural the figures take up much of the foreground, whereas
Cotton (scenes from Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana),
here the single solitary worker is dwarfed by the logs, locomotive,
Holy Roller Camp Meetings (representing the Cumberland
buildings and machinery that surround him.
Mountains), Coal Mines (scenes in West Virginia), and The
In addition to the Delphic Studios show, which is surely one of
D R . H E N RY A DA MS
the most important events of Benton’s professional career, this
A graduate of Harvard, Henry Adams received his
painting has been included in several other major exhibitions and
Ph.d from Yale. A well-known authority on the work
catalogues including Linda Weintraub’s (editor and co-author
of Thomas Hart Benton, he is currently working on
with Matthew Baigell), Thomas Hart Benton: Chronicler of
a biography of Grant Wood. His most recent book is
America’s Folk Heritage, Edith C. Blum Art Institute, 1984, Bard College; and Rudy Chiappini (with Henry Adams), Thomas Hart Benton, Museo d’Arte Moderna, Citta di Lugano, catalogue, Electa, Milan, 1992, p 164. The latter was the first exhibition of Benton’s work in Europe. It should be clear that this is an important work with a wonderful history and provenance, and it has the qualities one looks for in his best work—a wonderfully expressive, somewhat impulsive manner of painting combined with an impressive mastery of formal organization. In some fascinating way, there’s a perfect affinity between the rough execution and the rugged industrial subject. As I’ve mentioned, it closely relates to some of Benton’s most famous works, and it represents the moment when Benton joined his modernist mastery of form with American subject matter and became the leading painter of the American scene. E SSAY w ritten by D r . H enry A da m s Author of “Thomas Hart Benton: An American Original”
“Tom and Jack: The Intertwined Lives of Thomas Hart Benton and Jackson Pollock.”
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th o m a s H A RT B E N T O N
(18 89-19 75 )
Flood 1937, Casein on canvas on panel 13 x 22 1/2 inches Annotated by Benton’s wife (Rita) on verso “Property of Rita Benton” Pr ov e n a n c e
T. H. Benton and R. P. Benton Testamentary Trusts E x h i b i t i o n H i s to ry
February 12 to May 10, 1988, On the Road with Thomas Hart Benton: Images of Changing America, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia I l l u s t r at e d
Cover illustration, From Missouri: An American Farmer Looks Back by Thad Snow, 1954, Boston: Houghton Mifflin
I T WA S A PL E A SU R E to closely examine the wonderful
Made in 1937, this painting is clearly related to the flood drawings
Thomas Hart Benton painting, The Flood, 1937. Major Benton
he executed in February 1937 for the The Kansas City Star. Six
paintings from the 1930s are rare because he spent most of the
of these were published in the February 14, 1937 edition. A
decade painting large-scale mural projects. Only in the brief
number of these drawing are reproduced in my biography of
periods between these projects did he produce easel paintings.
Benton, published by Knopf in 1989; my book on Benton drawings
There’s no question about the authenticity since it comes from the
published by Abbeville in 1990; Karal Ann Marling’s book, Tom
Benton trust. The painting was also included by J. Richard Gruber,
Benton and His Drawings, University of Missouri Press, Columbia,
curator, in the exhibition Thomas Hart Benton and the American
Missouri, 1985; and (no author listed) Benton Drawings, A
South, Augusta, Georgia, Morris Museum of Art, 1998. The sheer
Collection of Drawings by Thomas Hart Benton, University of
quality leaves no doubt of Benton’s authorship.
Missouri Press, Columbia, Missouri, 1968. The ladies (including one with an umbrella) looking out towards the floating houses are
The Flood painting dates from the most notable single year, in
based directly on a drawing reproduced in Benton Drawings, 1968,
some ways the “miraculous year” (or years) of Benton’s career.
page 28.
From 1936 through 1937 he executed the mural for the State Capitol of Missouri in Jefferson City; published his autobiography
The painting is intriguing because it is so finely executed but
and best-seller, An Artist in America; made drawings of flood-
small in scale. Generally speaking, Benton’s small-scale oil
devastated regions in southeast Missouri for The Kansas City
paintings were studies for larger works. They were made from a
Star; drew illustrations of labor unrest in Michigan for the July 26,
color clay model in which he worked out the general composition.
1937 edition of Life; and went to Hollywood, producing another
Invariably, these small works were rather broad in execution and
important group of unpublished drawings for Life. In addition,
lacking in detail. This painting, on the other hand, is executed
Benton maintained an energetic schedule of exhibitions and
with care, finesse, and finely observed detail throughout. It’s
lectures.
clearly not a study for a larger work of art, but a finished work in its own right. .
Based on the level of detail, I believe that The Flood was
paintings of the 1930s. It is the most finished Benton painting I’ve
conceived as an illustration or a book cover. Benton likely hoped
ever seen of its size. There’s a wonderful mood to the painting—at
his drawings of the Missouri flood would be picked up by Life
once forlorn and heroic.
magazine where he had a close friend, Dan Longwell, from his early days working on a newspaper in Joplin. Life devoted most
E SSAY w ritten by D r . H enry A da m s
of an issue to the Missouri flood on February 8, 1937. However,
Author of “Thomas Hart Benton: An American Original”
they never reproduced any of Benton’s flood drawings. Of course, Benton may have had a nationally significant magazine other than Life in mind or possibly hoped to create a book that reproduced
COVER I M AG E
his flood drawings. For some unknown reason, the project never
From Missouri: An American Farmer Looks Back
made it into print.
by Thad Snow, 1954, Boston: Houghton Mifflin
The Flood was used seventeen years later for the cover of Thad Snow’s From Missouri, An American Farmer Looks Back, published in 1954 by Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Thad Snow, a farmer from Van Buren, Missouri, managed a highly productive farm that produced cotton, corn and alfalfa. The book contains several chapters that describe notable Missouri floods, including the one of 1937. The Flood certainly ranks with the best of Benton’s paintings of the 1930s and is in many ways unique. Despite its small scale, this is a fully resolved and completely finished work whose design and composition are as impressive as any of Benton’s large-scale
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th o m a s H A RT B E N T O N
(18 89-19 75 )
Strike 1933, Double-sided oil on tin 13 1/4 x 15 3/8 inches, Signed lower left “Benton” Waiting (on verso), Oil on canvas on tin, 8 x 7 1/2 inches Annotated on verso, “Pittsburgh Strike by Thom Benton” Pr ov e n a n c e
Private collection T. H. Benton and R. P. Benton Testamentary Trusts
E x h i b i t i o n H i s to ry
Benton’s Bentons — Touring February 15, 1981 to September 26, 1982 • Mid-America Arts Alliance, Kansas City, Missouri • Helen Foresma Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence • Smart Gallery, University of Chicago, Illinois I n c l u d e s ESSAY by D r . H e n ry A da m s
Available upon request.
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T H OM A S H A RT B E N TO N 5
(18 89-19 75 )
T H OM A S H A RT B E N TO N
Woods Scene, Mixed media, 15 1/2 x 11 inches, Signed lower right “Benton”
(18 89-19 75 )
Devil’s Camp in CA, Ink wash and graphite, 17 x 14 inches,
Signed and titled lower right “Devil’s Camp in CA Benton”
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T H OM A S H A RT B E N TO N
(18 89-19 75 )
The Singer, 1926, Ink, sepia wash and graphite, 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches,
Signed and dated lower right “Benton 1926”; Annotated below “She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes” 7
T H OM A S H A RT B E N TO N
(18 89-19 75 )
Country Schoolroom with Stove, c. 1935-40, Ink wash and graphite, 11 1/4 x 8 5/8 inches,
Signed lower right “Benton,” Frontispiece for “Schoolhouse in the Foothills” by Ella Enslow
th o m a s H A RT B E N TO N LITHO G RA PHS
8 A Drink of Water 1937, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 14 1/2 x 10 inches Signed [Fath 15]
9 Edge of Town 1938, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 9 x 10 3/4 inches Signed [Fath 22]
10 Fire in the Barnyard 1944, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 8 3/4 x 13 3/8 inches Signed [Fath 64]
11 Frankie and Johnnie 1936, Lithograph, Ed. of 100 16 3/8 x 22 1/8 inches Signed [Fath 11]
12 Frisky Day 1939, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 7 13/16 x 12 1/16 inches Signed [Fath 30]
13 Gateside Conversation 1946, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 9 7/8 x 14 inches Signed [Fath 69]
14 Goin’ Home 1937, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 9 3/8 x 12 inches Signed [Fath 14]
15 Haystack 1938, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 10 3/8 x 12 7/8 inches Signed [Fath 21]
16 Hymn Singer (The Minstrel) 1950, Lithograph, 275/500 16 x 12 3/8 inches Signed [Fath 74]
17 In the Ozarks (Homestead) 1938, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 9 x 13 1/8 inches Signed [Fath 20]
18 Investigation 1937, Lithograph, Ed. of 193 9 3/8 x 12 5/8 inches Signed [Fath 17]
19 Island Hay 1945, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 10 x 12 5/8 inches Signed [Fath 68]
20 Letter from Overseas 1943, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 9 5/8 x 13 1/8 inches Signed [Fath 59]
21 Loading Corn (Shucking Corn) 1945, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 10 1/4 x 13 1/4 inches Signed [Fath 65]
22 Lonesome Road 1938, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 9 3/4 x 12 1/2 inches Signed [Fath 18]
23 Mr. President 1971, Lithograph, Ed. of 150 8 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches Signed [Fath 83]
24 Nebraska Evening (Arkansas Evening) 1941, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 10 x 13 inches Signed [Fath 45]
25 Night Firing 1943, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 8 3/4 x 13 1/8 inches Signed [Fath 57]
26 Photographing the Bull 1950, Lithograph, Ed. of 500 11 15/16 x 16 inches Signed [Fath 75]
27 Plowing it Under 1934, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 8 x 13 3/8 inches Signed [Fath 8]
28 Prodigal Son 1939, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 10 x 13 1/4 inches Signed [Fath 29]
29 Rainy Day 1938, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 8 3/4 x 13 3/8 inches Signed [Fath 23]
30 Running Horses 1955, Lithograph, Ed. of 100 12 1/2 x 16 9/16 inches Signed [Fath 78]
31 Self-Portrait (Head) 1973, Lithograph, Ed. of 150 11 5/8 x 9 1/2 inches Signed [Fath 90]
32 Shallow Creek 1939, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 14 1/4 x 9 3/8 inches Signed [Fath 32]
33 Slow Train through Arkansas 1941, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 10 x 12 3/4 inches Signed [Fath 46]
34 Strike (Mine Strike) 1933, Lithograph, Ed. of 300 9 1/4 x 10 13/16 inches Signed [Fath 5]
35 Sunday Morning 1939, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 9 5/8 x 12 3/8 inches Signed [Fath 26]
36
T H OM A S H A RT B E N TO N
(18 89-19 75 )
The Race (Homeward Bound), 1942, Lithograph, Edition of 250, 9 15/16 x 13 3/16 inches, Signed [Fath 56]
37 Ten Pound Hammer 1967, Lithograph, Ed. of 300 13 13/16 x 9 13/16 inches Signed [Fath 79]
40 White Calf 1945, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 10 3/4 x 13 1/4 inches Signed [Fath 67]
38 The Meeting 1941, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 8 7/8 x 11 1/2 inches Signed [Fath 47]
39 The Woodpile 1939, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 8 3/4 x 10 7/8 inches Signed [Fath 31]
41
T H OM A S H A RT B E N TO N
(18 89-19 75 )
Wreck of the Ol’ 97, 1944, Lithograph, Edition of 250, 10 1/4 x 15 inches, Signed [Fath 63]
42
G R A N T WOO D
(1891-1942)
L and s ca pe w ith a R i v er and H ill s originally hung
Untitled (Landscape with River and Hills)
in Grant Wood’s studio. In December of 1941, shortly after a
c. 1930-31, Oil on panel
cancer operation, Wood gifted the painting to Dr. Titus Evans, his
17 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches
physician. Wood passed away on February 12, 1942. For years the painting hung in the home of Dr. and Mrs. Evans; and from them
Pr ov e n a n c e
it passed to its present owner.
Private collection Dr. Titus Evans (Grant Wood’s radiologist)
Landscape with a River and Hills portrays a gently rolling
Collection of the artist
landscape typical of eastern Iowa. We look across a slow moving river to rolling hills in the background. On the right side there’s an unpaved road that crosses the bridge. In the left foreground is a “dancing tree.” Sprinkled over the landscape are corn fields, corn shocks, trees and a red silo. The oddest feature of the painting is the shape of the hill just across the river on the left, which has a shape that resembles a human foot, with eight green shrubs that seem to form “toes.” Interestingly, the composition of the painting seems to follow a design method that Wood employed on other occasions. It is roughly divided into three equal horizontal bands and is crisscrossed by diagonals that point to the corners or to other key points on this geometric grid. Wood taught this method of design to his students at the University of Iowa. It can be found in many of his landscapes, notably in his lithograph March of 1941, where this method is particularly clearly worked out.
The most remarkable element in the painting is the hill that
it looks as though a giant had just knocked at the front door
resembles a human foot, with shrubs for toes. In some fashion
and then hurried around the corner of the house.” (Darrell
I believe that this is a reference to a silly hoax which Wood once
Garwood, Artist in Iowa, A Life of Grant Wood, W. W. Norton
carried out, which in some way was significant to him and formed
& Company, Inc., New York, 1944, page 53.)
part of his personal mythology. The same story is told with slight variations by Wood’s sister Nan: In 1916, with his friend Paul Hanson, Wood constructed two
About two miles away was Cook’s pond, which Grant called
small homes in Kenwood Park, Cedar Rapids, one for the Hanson,
“Corot’s pond.” On hot summer evenings, he and Paul
and one for himself, his mother and his sister. Around this time,
Hanson would swim there. As a hoax, Grant made molds
after reading about the alleged discovery of human bones and a
and cast some giant footprints, pressing them into the sand
kitchen in Horsethief’s Cave, northeast of Kenwood, a hoax which
to make tracks leading to the pond. Then he dove in and
brought crowds of spectators to view the cave, Wood decided to
came up with his head covered with decaying leaves and
create a “Superhoax” of his own. As his first biographer Darrell
dripping mud. Paul took a picture of this horrible creature.
Garwood reported:
Grant made more of the giant footprints in concrete and used them a stepping stones from our house to a rustic
He carved a foot eighteen inches long out of wood and made
bridge he built over a tiny stream in our back yard. Years
footprints in the ravine leading from Cook’s Pond. With
later, a new owner raised the level of the back yard with fill
his monster picture and the footprints as proof, he tried to
dirt. After Grant’s death, David Turner had the fill dirt dug
convince the newspapers that a giant had risen up from the
up in an effort to find the footprint stepping stones. None
pond and then clumped off down the ravine. As it turned
were found, but news of the “dig” got into the papers, and
out, he didn’t succeed in interesting the papers in his story.
a Los Angeles concrete company began to make and sell
But he did use the footprints: he cast them in concrete and
Grant Wood stepping stones. A newspaper ran an article
laid them as a sidewalk from front to back of the house he
with instructions for making the stones and old patterns. For
was to occupy; the concrete footprints were spaced so that
a long time, it was not uncommon to find giant-footprint
stepping stones for sale in lumber yards. (Nan Wood Graham
pieces together they make a compelling case. The provenance
with John Zug and Julie Jensen McDonald, My Brother Grant
is convincing. The physical materials of the painting and the
Wood, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1993, pages 25-26.)
way they are employed look right. The composition and subject matter seem to connect convincingly with well-known paintings
My belief is that the hillside shaped like a foot in this painting is
by Grant Wood, particularly to The Birthplace of Herbert Hoover
an allusion to this hoax—or if you wish an extension of it into a
of 1931. Finally—to my mind most compelling—the strange,
new and somewhat different artistic statement. In other words,
somewhat childish sense of humor reflected in the work seems
Wood was creating a sort of “Bigfoot Landscape,” in which a huge
to fit with what we know of Grant Wood’s personality—and not
foot becomes visible in the hillside, and conjures up the fantasy
with the work of any other artist. Given the quite extraordinary
that “Bigfoot” is at loose. He was sufficiently taken with this
rarity of Grant Wood’s work, this is an important discovery and
idea to execute the under-painting of a canvas on this theme; but
an important addition to our knowledge of the artist.
then ran out of energy or enthusiasm when faced with the task of perfecting the finish of his creation—no doubt because he became conscious that the conceit was too slight and too whimsical to justify a fully polished painting. Instead, he hung the incomplete painting in his studio, waiting for some further bit of inspiration which would enable him to complete the painting—a moment which never came. In short, based on the information now available to me and on actual examination of the painting, I believe that this is an authentic painting by Grant Wood—although certainly one that is a bit unusual in many ways, and most likely unfinished. While much of the evidence is circumstantial, if you put all the
E xcer p t by D r . H enry A da m s {Full letter available upon request}
43
G R A N T WOO D ’ S “ Wi g ” T RU N K 15 (h) x 22 (w) x 14 (d) inches
This family heirloom traveled with the Wood family from Virginia to Iowa. Grant Wood inherited the chest from his aunt. Originally designed for ladies’ hair pieces, this trunk was used by the artist for his receipts and important papers. It was also confiscated by the IRS during an investigation of back taxes from 1935-38.
44
G R A N T WOO D
(1891-1942)
Three Metal Objects Metalwork was a hobby for Grant Wood. These pieces, from the collection of his sister Nan Wood, were created during his time at Turner Alley. An avid lover of hazelnuts, Wood fashioned the rectangular tray to fit on the artist’s easel for easy access. The round metal object was created for his mother, Hattie, to use as a flowerpot holder. The heavy design, crafted from the iron gear of a seed planter, was intended to counteract her pots blowing off the window sill. The tapered object appears primarily decorative; it hung on the porch post of Grant Wood’s Iowa City home.
45
G R A N T WOO D
(1891-1942)
Tame Flowers, 1939, Hand-colored lithograph, 7 x 10 inches, Signed lower right
Used as a color study for the remaining “Tame Flowers� lithographs which were hand-colored by Nan. 46
PH OTOG R A PH O F G R A N T WOO D Color photograph, 7 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches
47
G R A N T WOO D
(1891-1942)
The Pulse 1908, Ink, 18 x 11 3/4 inches Signed “GDW ‘10” Early illustration by Grant Wood as a high school sophomore (Class of 1910) for his yearbook.
Grant Wo o d L i t h o g r a ph s
48
Approaching Storm
1940, Lithograph, Edition of 250 11 3/4 x 8 7/8 inches, Signed [Cole 19]
49 December Afternoon 1940, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 8 7/8 x 11 3/4 inches Signed [Cole 16]
52 Honorary Degree 1938, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 11 7/8 x 6 7/8 inches Signed [Cole 4]
50 Family Doctor 1940, Lithograph, Ed. of 300 10 x 11 7/8 inches Signed [Cole 18]
53 Seed Time and Harvest 1937, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 7 1/2 x 12 1/8 inches Signed [Cole 2]
51 Fertility 1939, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 8 7/8 x 11 7/8 inches Signed [Cole 15]
54 Shrine Quartet 1939, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 8 x 11 7/8 inches Signed [Cole 11]
55 56
G R A N T WOO D
(1891-1942)
G R A N T WOO D
February, 1940, Lithograph, Edition of 250, 8 7/8 x 11 3/4 inches, Signed [Cole 17]
(1891-1942)
March, 1939, Lithograph, Edition of 250, 8 7/8 x 11 3/4 inches, Signed [Cole 14]
57 58
G R A N T WOO D
G R A N T WOO D
(1891-1942)
(1891-1942)
Vegetables, 1939, Hand-colored lithograph, Edition of 250, 7 x 10 inches, Signed [Cole 8]
Wild Flowers, 1939, Hand-colored lithograph, Edition of 250, 7 x 10 inches, Signed [Cole 10]
59
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
(189 7-194 6)
T hi s i s the fir s t o f t wo v er s i o n s of John Steuart
The Corn
Curry’s painting Corn, one of his acknowledged masterpieces.
1933, Oil on canvas, 26 x 20 inches
It was given by him in lieu of a wedding ring to his second wife,
Signed and dated lower right “John Steuart Curry 1933”
Kathleen Gould Curry. A larger version of the same composition hangs in the Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas in the Roland
Pr ov e n a n c e
P. Murdoch Collection. Curry also executed a lithograph of the
Private collection by descent
subject in 1935.
Engagement gift from John Steuart Curry to his wife, Kathleen For Curry to make a stalk of corn the sole subject of a painting was an unusual decision—indeed, one without clear precedents. The painting carries meaning at two levels: it’s an assertion of Curry’s identity as a Midwestern Regionalist artist and it’s a statement about spiritual and emotional rebirth. Of the three major regionalists, Curry, Wood, and Benton, Curry was the first to achieve significant critical attention. In January of 1930, when he exhibited Baptism in Kansas at the Whitney Studio Gallery, Margaret Breuning in the New York Evening Post compared him to a “young Lochinvar” from out of the West. She noted that his “prairie expanses” struck a new note in American Art. Shortly afterwards, Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton achieved similar recognition for their paintings of Midwestern scenes, Grant Wood for his hugely popular American Gothic, 1930, and Benton for his landmark mural, America Today, 1930.
It took several years before the work of the three artists was
was particularly associated with Kansas, where fields of corn
linked together into an “artistic movement.” While the art critic
often stretched to the horizon, creating an agricultural vista
Thomas Craven and the art dealer Maynard Walker took steps in
unlike any other on earth.
this direction, Midwestern Regionalism was not clearly defined until December 24, 1934. Time magazine published an article
Curry himself recalled that as a child the cornfields of his father’s
titled “American Scene,” which brought together the work of the
farm “held the same fascination for me as do the forest for those
Curry, Wood and Benton and presented them as native American
who live within them. I remember wandering through them and
realists who were standing up against the inroads of European
being overpowered by the fear of being lost in their great confines.”
modernism. For the remainder of the 1930s, they were described as “The Big Three” and were regarded as pillars of the movement
In focusing on an ear of corn, Curry clearly intended to symbolize
to create a distinctively American form of art.
the bounty of America, and celebrate the heartland of America.
Notably, Corn was created just before the article in Time appeared.
Curry made this painting at the moment when he was finally
He was still working into his new role as a painter of Midwestern
ready to place the tragedy of his first marriage behind him and
subjects. In other words, Curry was still struggling to devise
move on. The intensely personal associations of this painting
a distinctly Midwestern sort of subject matter and symbolism.
have been described in a letter of July 15th, 2011, by Curry’s
Corn was a bold step in this direction. No one before had focused
granddaughter, S. G. Schuster:
attention on a stalk of corn in such a fashion, endowing it with a monumental presence.
You asked me to tell you the story of the Corn painting by JS Curry. When I was a child I was told that when John Curry
Curry clearly chose to represent corn because of its rich symbolic
met my grandmother Kathleen Gould Shepard they fell in
overtones and its associations with Kansas and the Midwest.
love very quickly and he wanted to marry her.
Corn is an American vegetable, originally cultivated by the Indians and unknown in Europe before Columbus’s voyages. It
He was then quite poor and so he went to her and proposed
but instead of a ring he presented her with this painting, the
[1] Letter from S. G. Schuster to Vivian Kiechel, July 15th, 2011.
painting titled The Corn…I have always thought that the
[2] Laurence E. Schmeckebier, John Steuart Curry’s Pageant of
reason the corn in the paintings seems so alive is partly the
America, American Artists Group, New York, 1943, figures 108
skill of the artist but also the love that they shared. [1]
and 109, p. 158.
In short this is a painting about hope. The fecundity of the cornstalk was clearly intended to express Curry’s hope for his new marriage. Because it was in the family rather than in a museum, this smaller version of Corn is little known. The larger version of this composition in Wichita has been widely published and is reproduced in all the major publications on Curry. In his monograph on Curry of 1943, Laurence E. Schmeckebeir reproduced two studies for the Wichita painting (or perhaps for this one), a very careful and accurate drawing and a somewhat looser watercolor.[2] As noted, Curry made two versions of Corn. In many way this painting, though the smaller of the two works, is not only richer in its personal associations, but artistically the superior of the two, since it was clearly the first to be executed, and thus is fresher in feeling.
E xcer p t by D r . H enry A da m s {Full letter available upon request}
60
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
(189 7-194 6)
Rainbow and View of Madison, Wisconsin 1937, Oil on panel, 36 1/2 x 48 inches Signed and dated lower right “John Steuart Curry 1937” Pr ov e n a n c e
Private collection Estate of the artist E x h i b i t i o n H i s to ry
Associated American Artists, 711 Fifth Ave., New York City, New York ACA Galleries, 41 E. 57th St., New York City, New York Ministério Da Educacão E Saúde, Museu Nacional De Belas Artes, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Exposicion De Pintura Bellas Artes, July 1941, Museo Nacional De Bellas Artes, Buenes Aires, Rep. Argentina Inventing the Middle West, Patricia Junker and Elvehjem Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin ILLUSTRATED
Cover illustration, Wisconsin Magazine of History, August 2000, Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin Cover illustration, Long for This World, by Ronald Wallace, 2003, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press Painted at the pinnacle of John Steuart Curry’s career, Rainbow and View of Madison, Wisconsin, is a magnificent allegory of Regionalist and American ideals. Although the rainstorms showering the city and state capitol foreshadow potential problems, the rainbow, rich fields and healthy livestock signify Curry’s hopes for the nation’s future. The painting became the visual summation of Curry’s life’s work. The rainbow spans the city, the state capitol, and the country. This image crystallizes Curry’s hope that urban and rural societies would coexist in harmony with responsible, honest government after the Depression.
61
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
(189 7-194 6)
Melora in the Cart, c. 1944, Tempera with oil on paper, 21 1/8 x 37 inches, Signed lower right
Illustrated in the Pulitzer Prize winning novel John Brown’s Body by Stephen Vincent Benet
62
J O H N S T E UA RT C U R RY
(189 7-194 6)
Study for Westward Movement: Justice of the Plains, c. 1936, Oil on paper, 14 x 32 inches
Signed lower left “John Steuart Curry”; Study for the 1937 “Westward Movement: Justice of the Plains” mural in the U.S. Department of Justice Building in Washington D.C.
63
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
Maquette for ‘Tragic Prelude, Coronado and Padre Padilla’ Kansas Statehouse Murals c. 1937, Graphite, 23 x 48 inches 64
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
Maquette for ‘Kansas PastoralThe Unmortgaged Farm’ Kansas Statehouse Murals c. 1936, Graphite, 23 x 58 inches 65
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
Study for ‘Tragic Prelude: Coronado’ Kansas Statehouse Murals c. 1938, Oil on canvas, 20 x 26 1/4 inches
66
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
(189 7-194 6)
Morning (Brown Thrush on Osage Branch Overlooking Kansas Landscape),
1936, Oil and tempera on panel, 27 x 43 inches, Signed, titled and dated lower right
67
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
(189 7-194 6)
Study for Oklahoma Land Rush, 1938, Oil on board, 11 3/4 x 24 1/2 inches,
Annotated below image “‘Rush for the Land’ the opening of Oklahoma April 29th 1889 / It is an historical fact, a beautiful lady was allowed to ride the cow catcher of a Sante Fe engine. At a signal the train was slowed and she jumped off to make a claim;” Study for the mural in the U.S. Department of Interior in Washington D.C.
68
J o hn Ste uart C u rry ’ s W E D D I N G C H E S T 12 3/4 (h) x 40 (w) x 18 1/2 (d) inches
Created by the artist for his wife, Kathleen Curry, this trunk was used by Kathleen until her death in 2001.
69 70
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
(189 7-194 6)
(189 7-194 6)
Untitled (House with Tree), Oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches
Book Illustrations (Westport Connecticut), Oil on canvas, 24 1/4 x 36 inches
71
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
(189 7-194 6)
Portrait of a Clara “Derrick” Curry 1926, Oil on burlap, 36 x 25 inches Signed and dated lower left “John S. Curry 1926” This early painting falls during Curry’s year-long study in Paris in the studio of Russian academic, Basil Schoukhaieff. Curry spent this crucial period improving his skill and studying works by Old Masters such as Rembrandt and Rubens. This is the only known painting of Curry’s first wife, Clara Derrick. Curry traveled to Paris with Clara, where she took a job working in a bank to aid in covering expenses. Wed in 1923, Curry was introduced to his wife by his brother, Eugene, who worked for her father, the head of the New Jersey State Home for Boys. Clara supported Curry during his early transition from illustrator to successful artist. Over time their marriage suffered, and in the spring of 1932, Curry left to travel with the Ringling Brothers Circus. Clara passed away in July 1932 from a heart complication and rumored nervous breakdown.
J O H N S T E UA RT C u rry L i t h o g r a ph s
72
John Brown
1939, Lithograph, Edition of 250 14 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches, Signed [Cole 34]
73 Coyotes Stealing a Pig (1st Stone) 1927, Lithograph, Ed. of 16 10 1/8 x 15 1/8 inches Signed [Cole 2]
74 Coyotes Stealing a Pig 1927, Lithograph, Ed. of 50 10 x 15 inches Signed [Cole 3]
75 Hounds and Coyote 1931, Lithograph, Ed. of 25 10 x 14 inches Signed [Cole 12]
76 Manhunt 1934, Lithograph, Ed. of c. 300 9 3/4 x 12 7/8 inches Signed [Cole 22]
77 Sanctuary 1944, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 11 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches Estate signed [Cole 38]
78 Prize Stallions 1938, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 13 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches Signed [Cole 31]
79 Stallion and Jack Fighting 1943, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 11 3/4 x 15 3/8 inches Signed [Cole 37]
80 Summer Afternoon 1940, Lithograph, Ed. of 50 10 x 14 inches Signed [Cole 35]
81 The Missed Leap 1934, Lithograph, Ed. of c. 250 16 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches Signed [Cole 23]
82 The Plainsman 1945, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 15 3/4 x 9 5/8 inches Signed [Cole 40]
83 Valley of the Wisconsin 1945, Lithograph, Ed. of 250 11 3/4 x 15 3/8 inches Signed [Cole 41]
84 The Three Wise Men 1927, Lithograph Proof for the numbered ed. of 42 8 1/4 x 6 1/8 inches Unsigned [Cole 1]
85
J o hn Ste uart C u rry
(189 7-194 6)
Study for ‘Prize Stallions’, 1937, Conte crayon, 12 x 17 inches
Signed and annotated lower right “John Steuart Curry 1937 / To Chris and Cara Christensen 1937 / John & Kathleen”
86 87
edW I N B RU N S
(1898 -19 70 )
J O H N S T E UA RT C U R RY 88
Circus Painting, 1938, Oil on canvas, 28 x 36 inches, Signed and dated lower right
(189 7-194 6)
J O H N S T E UA RT C U R RY
Clowns in Dressing Tent, 1932, Oil on panel, 12 x 16 inches, Signed upper right
(189 7-194 6)
Strongman, Circus, c. 1932, Graphite, 12 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
89
ROG E R M E D E A R I S
(192 0 -2 0 01)
Sweet Betsy from Pike 1948, Tempera on panel, 17 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches Signed and dated lower right “Medearis 1948” Titled on verso Did you ever hear tell of Sweet Betsy from Pike, Who crossed the wide mountains with her lover Ike, Two yoke of cattle, a large yeller dog, A tall Shanghai rooster, and a one-spotted hog. Singing too-ra-li-oo-ra-li-oo-ra-li-ay. Pr ov e n a n c e
Artist family by descent Produced in the period following World War II, Sweet Betsy from Pike depicts a scene from a popular folk song by the same title. It captures the spirit and style of Medearis’ roots in Regionalism. Born in Missouri in 1920, Roger Medearis studied at the Kansas Art Institute under celebrated artist Thomas Hart Benton. Benton’s concept of Regionalism was influential in shaping Medearis as an artist. Much like Benton, Medearis’ work reflected personal experiences and showed people and places he knew intimately. Medearis served in both the Army and the Navy during World War II. In the years following his military service, he became discouraged with the prevalence of Abstract Expressionism. Artistic disappointment combined with personal issues led to a hiatus from the art world. It was not until the mid-1960s that Medearis redeveloped his love for painting. His first paintings reflected his earlier Regionalist work. As time passed, his subjects changed from the figures of the Midwest to the landscapes of the far West. He continued painting until his death in 2001.
90
ROG E R M E D E A R I S
(192 0 -2 0 01)
The Sycamore I, 1993, Lithograph, 16/100, 15 x 17 3/4 inches, Signed lower right
91
ROG E R M E D E A R I S
(192 0 -2 0 01)
Country Singer, 1995, Lithograph, 26/100, 14 x 19 7/8 inches, Signed lower right
92 93
ROG E R M E D E A R I S
ROG E R M E D E A R I S
(192 0 -2 0 01)
(192 0 -2 0 01)
Spring-fed Pond, 1994, Lithograph, 52/150, 12 x 18 inches, Signed lower right
The Butterfly, 1987, Lithograph, 60/100, 15 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches, Signed lower right
94
DA L E N I C H O L S
(19 0 4 -19 95 )
End of the Hunt (Second Version) 1969, Oil on canvas, 30 x 36 1/2 inches Signed and dated lower left “Dale Nichols 1969” Annotated on verso Pr ov e n a n c e
Private collection Amicos Most Collection of the artist E x h i b i t i o n H i s to ry
Dale Nichols: Transcending Regionalism — Touring from May 20, 2011 to June 17, 2012 • Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art, David City, Nebraska • Georgia Art Museum, Athens, Georgia • Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama ESSAY by Am a n da M o b l e y, Au t h o r o f “ Da l e N i c h o l s : T r a n s c e n d i n g R e g i o n a l i s m”
End of the Hunt (1934) is the most famous Nichols painting. It was awarded the William Randolph Hearst Award in an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago and purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1939. Due to its popularity Nichols repeated the techniques, colors, and forms in other paintings to bring him continued success. And in a few cases he actually made another “End of the Hunt” such as this piece which is labeled “version II”. Nichols was careful to keep the composition and subject broadly similar but make the details distinctly different. Nichols justified his untraditional opinion in this way, “What affected my mind more deeply was the realization that George Gershwin would repeat this presentation of his masterpiece [Rhapsody in Blue] wherever his large, great orchestra, on its tour of America and Europe, would pause to play. I wondered why an artist couldn’t periodically repeat one of his finest paintings, especially if it was in a great museum collection, and call it an encore.” [quote taken from Encores Masterful Copies, Dale Nichols]
95
DA L E N I C H O L S
(19 0 4 -19 95 )
Country Charm 1943, Oil on canvas, 23 1/2 x 29 1/2 inches Signed and dated lower left “Dale Nichols 1943” Illustration for 1944 Dean’s Milk advertisement (below).
96 97
DA L E N I C H O L S
DA L E N I C H O L S
(19 0 4 -19 95 )
(19 0 4 -19 95 )
Yesterday, 1972, Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, Signed lower right “Dale Nichols”
Plowing the Fields, 1965, Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches, Signed and dated lower left “Dale Nichols 1965”
98 99
DA L E N I C H O L S DA L E N I C H O L S
(19 0 4 -19 95 ) (19 0 4 -19 95 )
Stormy Sea Alaska, 1972, Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, Signed and dated lower right “Dale Nichols 1972” Wilderness–Alaska, 1985, Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches, Signed and dated lower left “Dale Nichols 1985”
100
DA L E N I C H O L S
(19 0 4 -19 95 )
The Evening Star and the White Seabird, Alaska, 1988, Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, Signed and dated lower left “Dale Nichols 1988”
101
DA L E N I C H O L S
(19 0 4 -19 95 )
Untitled (Car and Horse in Street), 1931, Watercolor and ink, 7 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches,
Signed and dated lower right “Dale Nichols–1931”
102
DA L E N I C H O L S
(19 0 4 -19 95 ) 103
Gulf Coast Shrouded (Fog), 1972, Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, Signed and dated lower left “Dale Nichols 1972”
DA L E N I C H O L S
(19 0 4 -19 95 )
An Ancient Maya Doing Homage to the Corn God,
1989, Mixed media on fabric. 32 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches, Signed and dated lower left 104 105
DA L E N I C H O L S
DA L E N I C H O L S
(19 0 4 -19 95 )
(19 0 4 -19 95 )
The Maya Wind God, 1972, Mixed media on fabric, 23 1/4 x 17 1/4 inches, Signed and dated lower right
The Monkey in God’s Place is Evil, 1965, Mixed media on fabric. 19 1/8 x 29 3/8 inches, Signed and dated lower middle
106 107
DA L E N I C H O L S
RO C K W E L L K E N T
(19 0 4 -19 95 )
(18 82-19 71)
Untitled (Guatemalan Landscape), Watercolor. 12 x 15 1/2 inches, Signed lower left and right
Greenland (Spring), c. 1934-35, Oil on canvas laid down on board. 28 x 34 inches, Signed lower left and right
108
H E N RY H OWA R D B AGG
(18 53 -1928)
Untitled (Mountain Lake), Oil on canvas, 14 x 20 inches, Signed lower right
109 110
B I RG E R SA N DZ E N
B I RG E R SA N DZ E N
(1871-195 4)
(1871-195 4)
River Sunset, 1936, Linocut, Edition of 2, 9 x 12 inches, Signed, titled and annotated [Greenough 79]
Trees and Wheatfield, 1938, Lithograph, Edition of 100, 11 x 14 inches, Signed and titled [Greenough 161]
111
J O H N PH I L I P FA LT E R
(1910 -1982)
Shirt Sleeve Court Oil on canvas, 39 1/2 x 55 inches Signed lower left “John Falter” Pr ov e n a n c e
Private collection IL l u s t r at e d
Reader’s Digest Great Biographies, A Conversation of Abraham Lincoln, The Prairie Years by Carl Sandburg Lincoln remarked “It was a kind of shirt sleeve court they were holding there in the cornfield” –Carl Sandburg Born in Plattsmouth and raised in Falls City, Nebraska, John Falter was a nationally recognized painter and illustrator. Best known for his work with the Saturday Evening Post, Falter illustrated over 120 covers throughout the life of the magazine. During his career, he drew from his Midwestern background. Falter commented, “My main concern doing Post covers was trying to do something based on my own experiences. I found my niche as a painter of Americana with an accent of the Middle West. I brought out some of the homeliness and humor of Middle Western town life and home life.” Besides the Saturday Evening Post, Falter also completed over 300 recruiting posters while serving in the Navy, produced illustrations for publications such as Good Housekeeping, The Home Magazine, The Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, McCalls, Life, and Look and illustrated over 40 books. This particular painting was created for the Reader’s Digest special edition of Carl Sandburg’s A Conversation of Abraham Lincoln, The Prairie Years. In 1976, Falter was honored by his peers with election to the Illustrators Hall of Fame. A prolific and well-respected artist, he passed away in 1982.
112
T erence D u ren
(19 0 6 -196 8)
The Tryst, c. 1960, Oil on canvas, 21 1/2 x 36 inches, Signed lower left
113
T erence D u ren
(19 0 6 -196 8)
Wild Grape Pickers, c. 1960, Oil on canvas, 23 1/2 x 35 1/2 inches, Signed lower left
114
T erence D u ren
(19 0 6 -196 8)
Untitled (Cattle Drive), Oil on canvas, 18 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches, Signed lower left
115
Willia m Wind Mc K i m
(1916 -19 95 )
Javelinas, Tempera on panel, 16 1/4 x 23 1/2 inches, Signed lower right
116 117 118
WO L F K A H N
WO L F K A H N
WO L F K A H N
( b . 192 7 )
( b . 192 7 )
( b . 192 7 )
The Red Barn, 1971, Oil on linen, 48 x 52 inches, Signed lower right
Locusts to the Valley, 1991, Pastel, 14 x 16 7/8 inches, Signed lower right
Tank, Mesquite and Blue Bonnets, 1985, Oil on canvas, 28 x 34 inches, Signed lower right
119
WAY N E T H I E B AU D
( b . 192 0 )
Six Italian Desserts, 1979, Color lithograph, Edition of 150, 15 x 20 inches,
Signed and dated lower right, numbered lower left
120
WAY N E T H I E B AU D
( b . 192 0 )
Bramble Trees, 1957, Gouache, 9 1/2 x 24 inches, Signed and dated lower left
121
K E ith Jac o b s hag en
( b . 1941)
A Golden Year, 2010, Oil on copper, 3 1/2 x 5 inches (each), Signed and annotated on verso
During 2010, Jacobshagen created an individual painting on copper for each day of the year. (Pictured) July 1 to July 6, 2010
122
K E ith Jac o b s hag en
( b . 1941)
Bright Sky, Middle Summer, 1986, Oil on canvas, 44 x 46 inches, Signed lower right
A RT I S T S
I T E M N UM B E R S
HENRY HOWARD BAG G
108
THO M AS HART BENTON
1-41
EDW IN BRUNS J OHN STEUART CURRY Terrence Duren J OHN FALTER
86 59-85, 87, 88 112-114 111
K e i t h Jac o b s h ag e n
121-122
WOLF K AHN
116-118
R o c kw e l l K e n t
107
Willia m Wind McKim
115
RO G ER M EDEARIS DALE NICHOLS BIR G ER SANDZ EN FRANCISCO SOUTO WAYNE THIEBAUD G RANT WOOD
89-93 94-106 109-110 123 119-120 42-58
123
F R A N C I S C O SOU T O
( b . 19 73)
Zacatecas #3, 2010, Graphite, 22 x 22 inches, Signed on verso
gallery 5 7 3 3 S ou t h 3 4t h S t r e e t, S u i t e 3 0 0 L i n c o l n , N e b r a s k a 6 8 516 T 4 0 2 . 4 2 0 .9 5 53 / F 4 0 2 . 4 2 0 .9 5 5 4
gallery@ kiechelart.c o m w w w. kiechelart.c o m
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K I E C H E L
F I N E
A RT
5 7 3 3 S OUT H 3 4 t h S t REET, S U I TE 3 0 0 , L i n c o l n, N e 6 8 5 1 6 g a ll e ry @ k i e ch e l a rt. c o m w w w. k i e ch e l a rt. c o m