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Information for Educators Information for Educators Contact [email protected] or 610-388-8382 to schedule a guided tour of the exhibition. Introduction By Amanda C. Burdan, Curator Between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II, a broad array of American artists began to adopt the modernist styles of Europe and adapt them to the subject of the American countryside. Moving beyond the creative hothouses of New York and other urban centers, artists treated coastal New England, small-town Pennsylvania, Midwestern farms, and various rural regions of the country with avant-garde innovation and modern finesse. To consider this collection of rural scenes and subjects painted in new and experimental ways is to witness the formation of American modernism as it took root across the country. The world wars brought influxes of artists—both Europeans and Americans who had been abroad—along with their advanced methods to these shores. Those cosmopolitan artists mingled with American Regionalists, self-taught artists, and others who fell between these groups. With a steadfast commitment to representation in art, the American versions of modernism evolved in several locations, not just New York, as the styles migrated from “sea to shining sea.” The paintings in this exhibition represent life on the land during a turbulent period in both American history and painting. Continuing the long-standing tradition of the American pastoral landscape, many artists gave great attention to scenes that emphasized the idealized landscape and humanity’s place within it. All manner of people who work the land are depicted: farmers, fishermen, mine workers, and lumberjacks. Not to be forgotten, the environmental and economic crises of the period gave rise to a “Rural Modern Gothic,” revealing a darker side of American life between the world wars. When viewed together, these works form a modern anthem of rural America. When most people think of the phrase “modern art” the images that come to mind might include abstract and even non-representational paintings and sculptures by artists like Pablo Picasso or art created in Paris or New York. In the early twentieth century, when modern art first came to the United States from Europe—both the actual works of art and the related ideas—it came to major cities, with their established art communities. Modern styles did not remain the property of big cities for very long. In America, as artists were seeking out a national style of art—one that represented American subjects and American life—they spread out across the country looking for what Georgia O’Keeffe called “the great American thing.” This exhibition is, in part, the story of the art that was created outside of urban areas that incorporated elements of modern painting—the simplification of shapes, flattening of forms, subjects of the here and now, and varying degrees of abstraction from visual reality. Left: N. C. Wyeth, (1882-1945), Ridge Church, 1936, oil on canvas, 36 x 40 in. Collection of Linda L. Bean Right: Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), Ridge Church, 1935, oil on canvas, 39 1/2 x 35 ½ in. Private Collection N. C. Wyeth & Andrew Wyeth Painted eighty years ago by the father and son N. C. and Andrew Wyeth and reunited here, these two versions of a New England church demonstrate the extent to which modern aesthetics were touching the lives and work of even the most traditional artists in America. The Ridge Church is located in Martinsville, Maine, not far from the Wyeths’ summer home in Port Clyde. N. C.’s letters to the rest of the family back in Chadds Ford praised his teenaged son’s progress and particularly his “maturing grasp of matter and mood.” Those two elements—matter and mood—are a fitting description of the contrast between these two paintings. Andrew focuses on all of the “matter” of the scene: the precise structure of the church, the intensity of the light, and the spot-on color of the dry grass. N. C., on the other hand, is all “mood”—a decidedly low point-of-view among the tombstones, the mysterious light of breaking dawn, and the fantastic freedom of his palette. Each of them, in their own way, was aware of the loosening rules and traditions in the American art world, and was experimenting with the possibilities those changes offered for artists outside of the mainstream modernist mix of the cities. Compare and contrast these two paintings of the same subject, considering how the artists’ choices impact their work. o What is the viewpoint? o Where is the light source? o What surrounds the church? Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), Tobacco Sorters, 1942/44, tempera on board, 30 1/8 x 36 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2012.19. Photography by Edward C. Robison III. © T.H. Benton & R.P. Benton Testamentary Trusts/UMB Bank Trustee/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY Thomas Hart Benton One of the great subjects that rural modern artists gravitated toward was the people and intimate communities of the American countryside. The American farmer ranked high on the list of rural characters painted by artists, but so did fishermen, miners, and other people who lived and worked closely with the land. Thomas Hart Benton’s painting Tobacco Sorters is a great example of the depiction of life in rural America represented with some of the modernist touches of the twentieth century. Two generations are brought together in this scene, as the farmer appears to be explaining the process of sorting tobacco leaves to the young girl. The exchange is symbolized by the passing of the leaf between them. The plant is painted with remarkable attention to its translucency. If you look at the way the girl’s hand is visible through the leaf you get a sense of its delicacy, and perhaps too, of the fragility of the farmer’s way of life. The remarkable contrast between the figures—both rendered by Benton in his trademark attenuated, expressive forms—gives a glimpse at the passage of time, from the fair-skinned, inquisitive child to the weathered yet knowledgeable farmer she will become one day. What is the first thing you notice in this scene? Imagine a conversation between the man and the child. How does the artist depict their relationship? What might be the significance of the buildings and people in the background? What might be Thomas Hart Benton’s opinion about the type of farming he depicts here? How does he convey his views through the painting? Alexandre Hogue (1898-1994), Crucified Land, 1939 oil on canvas, 42 x 60 in. Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gift of the Thomas Gilcrease Foundation, 1955 Alexander Hogue Many of the paintings in this exhibition focus dramatically on the tragedies and hardships of the period between the two World Wars. Their expressiveness recalls the gothic nature of art found in the previous century, particularly in American landscape painting. This gothic strain of Romanticism emphasized themes such as the seemingly untamable wilderness and the savageness of nature. In Alexandre Hogue’s painting, Crucified Land, the artist depicts the consequences of one farmer’s failed attempt to impose his will on the soil of the Texas panhandle. Visible on the high horizon is the tractor that brought this land to its knees. It’s a gas powered model, capable of working the land more quickly and extensively than horse drawn plows ever did. But it was incorrectly used to plow downhill, causing deep furrows and consequently damaging soil erosion. The stormy sky—a common characteristic of gothic landscapes—threatens further rain and destruction of the land. The remnant of a scarecrow implies a crucifixion in which both the farmer and the land have been sacrificed. Describe and discuss Alexander Hogue’s color choices. How do the bright, complementary colors and contrast of warm and cool colors create meaning? Consider the time period in which this painting was created. o How does the artist depict the relationship between people and the land? o According to the artist, is there hope for this land and the people who rely on it? Above: Ralston Crawford (1906-1978), Steel Foundry, Coatesville, Pa, 1936-37, oil on canvas, 32 1/8 x 40 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Purchase, 37.10 © Estate of Ralston Crawford/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY Right: Charles Demuth (1883-1935), End of the Parade: Coatesville, Pa., 1920, tempera and pencil on board, 19 7/8 x 15 ¾ in. Collection of Deborah and Ed Shein Ralston Crawford & Charles Demuth Ralston Crawford’s painting Steel Foundry, Coatesville, Pa. along with the painting hanging to the left, Charles Demuth’s End of the Parade, Coatesville, Pa. both take a focused view of the steel industry in Chester County, Pennsylvania. In the early twentieth century, these paintings would have been received as signs of progress in both the art and industrial worlds. Crawford and Demuth worked in a style called Precisionism, which was influenced by European modernism, particularly by Cubism. The sleek, clean lines of Precisionism seemed quite futuristic at the time and were an apt stylistic choice for scenes of technological advancement including aviation, skyscrapers, bridges, and factories of all sorts. In hindsight, twenty-first century viewers may recognize some less positive aspects of industrialization that are in some ways foreshadowed by these paintings. Crawford’s monolithic black building, walled off from the viewer, is an imposing force in this painting and in the otherwise agrarian landscape of the surrounding area even today. Demuth’s painting lingers—perhaps critically—on the many smokestacks and chimneys of Coatesville, a theme he also gravitated to in representing the modernization of his hometown of Lancaster, Pa.
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