Thomas Hart Benton
Thomas Hart Benton was an American painter and Muralist. He was born in Neosho, Missouri in April 1889. After spending several years in the U.S. Navy and other travels, he moved to Kansas City and began teaching at the Kansas City Art Institute.
Taken from the gallery label of the original work on display at the Nelson-Atkins: "Hollywood resulted from Thomas Hart Benton's Life magazine-sponsored excursion to Tinseltown in the summer of 1937. The composition unites various aspects of movie-making, revealing Benton's fascination with what he called "the machinery of the industry" responsible for cinematic effects.
Thomas Hart Benton was at the forefront of Regionalist art movement. Benton's paintings portrayed a fluid motion to both landscape and sculpted figures, capturing every day scenes in his North American visual narratives. Benton was born on 1889 in Neosho, Missouri, and spent much of his adolescence in this state. These Midwestern roots can be seen strongly within the context of his work. Benton studied both within the United States, attending the The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, and later he traveled abroad to France, studying at the Académie Julian in Paris.
Thomas Hart Benton was at the forefront of the Regionalist art movement. His paintings portrayed a fluid motion to both landscape and sculpted figures, capturing every day scenes in his North American visual narratives. Benton was born on 1889 in Neosho, Missouri, and spent much of his adolescence in this state. These Midwestern roots can be seen strongly within the context of his work. Benton studied both within the United States, attending The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, and later he traveled abroad to France, studying at the Académie Julian in Paris.