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3Rd Grade: SEPTEMBER Wisconsin Landscape John Steuart Curry

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3rd Grade: SEPTEMBER Wisconsin Landscape John Steuart Curry Debra J. Herman, M.F.A., Concordia University, River Forest, Illinois Funded by the John and Frances Beck Foundation, Chicago, Illinois Edited by Constance Kammrath, M.A., Concordia University, River Forest, Illinois About the Artist a scene very familiar to Curry. Not only was the idea of baptism a The following information is provided to give classroom teachers new subject matter to the art world, it was also a new sight for a comprehensive understanding of the artist and artwork. Use easterners who never considered such an environment for a your judgment on what to share with your students based on their “church” event. Fortunately for Curry, it caught the eye of Mrs. level of curiosity, observation/inquiry skills, comprehension and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney who purchased the painting for the age-appropriateness. Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. John Steuart Curry The Kansas City Capitol in Topeka was a potential site for sev- John Steuart Curry, born on November 14, 1897, was the eldest eral murals depicting life in Kansas and citizens were eager to of the five children of Smith and Margaret Curry. Smith and Mar- have the most famous artist in Kansas, John Steuart Curry, do the garet were religious people and college graduates who had trav- honors. He based his murals on three themes: Settlement of Kan- eled to Europe. They made their home in Dunavaunt, Kansas, on sas, Life of the Homesteader and Pastoral Prosperity. However, a farm. Curry’s younger years were spent tending to the farm the murals led to political controversies, complications from the animals. Living on the farm gave him a sensitivity to weather Kansas City legislative committee, and arguments by Kansans conditions as they affected plant, animal, and human life. He at- who felt his imagery degraded their state. Curry’s intensions had tended the local high school and participated in sports. been to express positive qualities of Kansans. The Kansas-based movie, Wizard of Oz, was released in 1939 which added to the John Curry showed interest in art at an early age and was encour- stereotyped image of Kansans. John Curry was upset at the nega- age to draw and paint images around him, including the farm tive views of the state house murals and refused to sign them. animals. After graduating from high school, Curry went on to Today, the state house murals are considered the best work Curry study art at the Kansas City Art Institute for a short period and ever did. In 1992, the Kansas legislature voted to extend an offi- then at the Art Institute of Chicago. Following two years in Chi- cial apology to the Curry family for the poor treatment of John cago, he attended and graduated from Geneva College in Beaver Curry during this ordeal and they purchased Curry’s original de- Falls, Pennsylvania. Curry was well trained as an illustrator and signs related to the state house murals. worked for a variety of magazines including Boys Life and The Saturday Evening Post. In 1937, Curry accepted a position as Artist In Residence at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He was not placed in the art In 1926, Curry went to Paris for one year of study, focusing on program as one would expect. Rather, he was hired by the univer- the works of Gustave Courbet. On his return he chose to live in sity’s noted agricultural school to inspire the students of rural New York City and married Clara Derrick. One more move led Wisconsin to foster their creativity. This experimental, cutting the couple to Westport, Connecticut. Unfortunately, Clara died in edge approach placed art at the center of all human enterprise. June, 1932. Two years later Curry married Kathleen Gould. Among his responsibilities were traveling to communities to share his knowledge of art with interested students. Through Hardships caused by the 1930s Great Depression fueled a dissat- these travels, Curry was able to share experiences and witness the isfaction with capitalism and centralism. To illustrate the emo- natural and spiritual beauty associated with the American heart- tional condition of the era, Curry created paintings featuring land. It was in rural America he found both excitement and, at wide, open natural environments with advancing storms. In one times, disaster. such painting, Tornado over Kansas, Curry focused on a beauti- ful landscape, wide open spaces and an approaching tornado. A Curry and his wife lived in Madison until his death from a stroke protective farmer helps his family escape danger as he ushers or heart attack in August, 1946, at the young age of forty-nine. them into a tornado shelter. Viewers relate to the fear experi- His wife claimed it was due to his heartbreak over the murals. enced by the endangered family as they run from Mother Na- John Steuart Curry was laid to rest at the Reformed Presbyterian ture’s wrath. Curry presents us as vulnerable people at the mercy Church Cemetery in Winchester, Kansas. His painting career of those things more powerful than we. lasted only two decades. John Steuart Curry’s reputation today stands alongside Iowan Grant Wood and Missourian Thomas The painting which put Curry on the map was his 1928’s Baptism Hart Benton as the three leading artists in the genre of Regional- in Kansas. It was exhibited at the Concoran Gallery in Washing- ism which focused on realistic imagery of rural life in a time ton, D.C. and received the praise of the New York Times. Baptism when images of American’s heartland were of comfort during the in Kansas featured a rural Kansas, outdoor, immersion baptism— financial woes of the Great Depression. Discipline-Based Art Education About the Art ing an ideal environment when the coun- The following components are integral to stu- try was experiencing difficult times dur- dents having a complete, well rounded art Wisconsin Landscape was painted, oil on can- experience. vas, by John Steuart Curry in 1938-1939. It ing the depression. In contrast to urban Art Aesthetics measures 42 x 84 inches. The image is actu- areas where masses of people went hun- Providing opportunities to develop percep- ally a composite of several farms Curry saw gry or were homeless, the country offered tion and appreciation of visually expressed open spaces, fresh air, and food from gar- ideas and experiences. on his many trips around Wisconsin. Curry Art Production painted this landscape on a very large and den or farms. Providing opportunities to develop skills and long canvas (seven feet wide) to capture the 10. Curry also wanted to show how vulner- techniques for creative visual expressions of vast space, openness of the farmland, and able we all are to nature—something we emotions and ideas. can’t control. Those rolling clouds could Art History wide sky. Two thirds of the height is the land Providing opportunities to develop an under- which is represented with a series of varying easily develop into a severe storm. Peo- standing of the visual arts as a basic com- colors highlighted by the sun or caught in the ple, animals, crops, and buildings could ponent of personal heritage. shadow of a cloud. One third is taken up with all be at risk. Or, the lack of rain would Art Criticism mean crops don’t grow. What does this Providing an opportunity to develop an the motion-filled sky. The composition fea- intellectual basis for analyzing and making tures a great sense of space, not only in the tell you about the people who chose to aesthetic judgments based on an under- wide spectrum, but in the depth of the land. live here? standing of visual ideas and experiences. We see golden hay stacks in the foreground, 11. Would you like to live here? Why? ELEMENTS OF ART then the farm land, and the rolling hills in the Line: A continuous mark distance. Things to Do Shape: Area enclosed by a line 1. Invite individuals who lived on a farm to Color: Hue, reflection of light. The painting was executed during the Great share their stories of life on the farm. Texture: Surface quality, real or implied Depression. Although farmers felt its effect, 2. Using Wisconsin Landscape as your Form: 3D shape or illusion of 3D they still had their land. Seeding, fertilization, Value: Graduated areas of light/dark guide, paint the same landscape in a dif- Space: Illusion of depth growth, and the harvest were signs of hope for ferent season. What would it look like? those who were struggling. 3. Get out in nature! Find some place where PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN Repetition: Imagery repeating pattern you can get a bird’s eye view of the land. Variety: Contrast/variation Directed Observation Bring your cameras and take photos to Rhythm: Issues of eye movement Show students an image of Wisconsin Land- catch the various scenes, the ever-shifting Balance: Even visual weight scape and tell them it was painted by John clouds and shadows on the ground. Sit Emphasis/Economy: Dominance/ Steuart Curry in 1938-1939. Invite students to and sketch what you see. Use a thin minimalism Proportion: Compare size relationships quietly study the work. After some time for marker or pencil to sketch and then fill in thinking, encourage students to share what the color once you’re back in the class- COMPOSITION they see. Welcome all comments. The follow- room. Include objects in the foreground, Symmetrical: Mirrored imagery ing questions are provided to help students use mid-ground, and background. Asymmetrical: Random placement Radial: Mirror image from center point art vocabulary to talk about the work.
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