Born in Missouri at the end of the nineteenth century; Thomas Hart Benton would become the most notorious and celebrated painter America had ever seen. The first artist to make the cover of Time; he was a true original: an heir to both the rollicking populism of his fathers political family and the quiet life of his Appalachian grandfather. In his twenties; he would find his calling in New York; where he was drawn to memories of his small-town youthmdash;and to visions of the American scene.By the mid-1930s; Bentons heroic murals were featured in galleries; statehouses; universities; and museums; and magazines commissioned him to report on the stories of the day. Yet even as the nation learned his name; he was often scorned by critics and political commentators; many of whom found him too nationalistic and his art too regressive. Even Jackson Pollock; his once devoted former student; would turn away from him in dramatic fashion. A boxer in his youth; Benton was quick to fight back; but the widespread backlash had an impactmdash;and foreshadowed many of the artistic debates that would dominate the coming decades.In this definitive biography; Justin Wolff places Benton in the context of his tumultuous historical momentmdash;as well as in the landscapes and cultural circles that inspired him. Thomas Hart Bentonmdash;with compelling insights into Bentons art; his philosophy; and his family historymdash;rescues a great American artist from myth and hearsay; and provides an indelibly moving portrait of an influential; controversial; and often misunderstood man.
#3556950 in eBooks 2011-10-26 2011-10-01File Name: B005TD2QUA
Review
