The room rocks and rolls with the rhythm of the lines and shapes of the figures and the walls vibrate with luminous color. These are the works of Thomas Hart Benton, one of America’s most famous artists. Now his is a name that perhaps only one in four museum-goers recognizes. The exhibition “American Epics: Thomas Hart Benton and Hollywood” at Fort Worth’s Amon Carter Museum of American Art brings him to our attention in grand style.
Benton (1889-1975), along with John Steuart Curry and Grant Wood, was considered primary among painters classified as “regionalists.” The term, however, is not definitive either of Benton’s training or outlook. He was interested in the vast swath of America and its history and in telling its story,
Benton, from Missouri, studied art in Paris, Chicago and New York. Early on he found work in Ft. Lee, N.J., then an important center in the developing film industry. He painted sets along with other chores involved in movie production. Seeing the growing popularity of the medium, he found ways in his own art to incorporate some of the techniques being developed for film.
In 1918 he began a series of large paintings depicting the history of the United States. In these pictures, Benton sought to de-mythologize the popular versions of American history. The 14 paintings mounted side-by-side stretched more than 60 feet. Finding no market for the paintings, they remained unsold and un-displayed until after his death. The panels are featured in the Amon Carter exhibition which includes nearly 100 works, including 30 paintings.
In spite of this early failure, Benton became known as a muralist and created a number of major works for public buildings and private institutions. By 1934 his picture was on the cover of “Time” magazine. Later works included murals in the Missouri State Capitol, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In 1937, he received an assignment from “Life” magazine to do a photo-essay about Hollywood. The works produced for this project serve as the linchpin for the exhibition.
The star of this show is a 56 x 84 inch canvas entitled “Hollywood.” The central figure is a scantily clad blond beauty surrounded by behind-the-scenes action and the machinery that makes the magic. Benton was a meticulous worker, making myriad sketches and drawings before painting. Many of these are on display.
In preparation for his paintings, Benton also used a technique employed by old masters. He created dioramas with clay figures to determine the final composition and the effect of lighting on those figures.
In 1939, 20th Century Fox commissioned lithographs for promotion of “The Grapes of Wrath.” Benton’s collaboration was touted in press releases and publicity. According to experts, Benton’s art affected lighting choices made by the film’s cinematographers.
Other films which employed Benton’s talents included “The Long Voyage Home,” “Swamp Water,” and “The Kentuckian.” For “The Kentuckian,” directed by and starring Burt Lancaster, Benton painted a monumental portrait of Lancaster as Big Eli, rifle over his shoulder, striding confidently, accompanied by his son and dog. The painting was reproduced on movie posters with the tag, “A Great American Artist Depicts a Great American Motion Picture.” Videos of Benton and clips of movies are scattered through the exhibition. The stars, though, are the paintings.
This is the first major exhibition of Benton's works in 25 years and it is stunning. Benton was a teacher of Jackson Pollock and a good friend and mentor of Charles Banks Wilson who painted the murals in our Capitol. Time and changing tastes bypassed Benton. The foundation of his style is Renaissance with a modern twist. He eschewed abstraction preferring to paint pictures that told stories. Perhaps this is the right time to revisit those stories again through the eyes of Thomas Hart Benton.
The exhibition will run through May 1. The Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Resource: http://www.edmondsun.com
No comments:
Post a Comment