Thomas Hart Benton Original Lithograph, 1934 Plowing it Under

Name: Thomas Hart Benton Original Lithograph, 1934 Plowing it Under
Brand: Thomas Hart Benton
Price: 2800 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) Original stone lithograph. Title: Plowing it Under (also Ploughing), 1934. Unframed and presents in a 4 ply museum mat. Image size: 8"h x 13 3/8"w. Mat size: 16 x 20. In excellent condition with full margins and deckle edges. Pencil signed by the artist lower right, "Benton." Fath #8, p. 36. Issued by Associated American Artists, New York in 1934 as an edition of 250. Thomas Hart Benton described this image in the Fath book, “Drawing made (for this print) in South Carolina in 1934 - showing Tugwell’s program in operation.” This was his first lithograph to be circulated by Associated American Artists, New York City, under the title “Ploughing.” A painting was also done in 1934 of the same title. As part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal in 1933, some crops were instructed to be ‘plowed under’ to limit supplies and raise prices. The Chicago Tribune derided Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace and Under Secretary Rexford Guy Tugwell for it which made the term “Plowed Under” a part of the political vocabulary of the time. Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, in 1889. He studied for many years in both Europe and New York, and began his art career as a cartoonist. In creating art about the America he saw, he produced paintings, prints, and murals, which brought him popularity and fame. In 1934 Benton painted a self-portrait that was used as the first color cover of Time magazine. One of his greatest pieces was a mural painting for the Missouri state capitol in which he portrayed all aspects of Missouri life, such as hog farms, large industries, and town meetings. Benton was known for paintings and prints of American rural and city life. His energetic figures and landscapes have a sense of rhythm, movement, and depth. He was known to make clay sculptural models for all his works, which helps to explain their three-dimensional illusion. After a productive career, Benton died in 1975.

Creator:

Thomas Hart Benton (Artist)

Dimensions:

Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 0.13 in (3.31 mm)

Materials and Techniques:

Paper

Period:

Mid-20th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1934

Condition:

Seller Location: