Lithograph on wove paper
USA, 1941
Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) – American Regionalist painter and muralist
Signed in pencil and in plate lower right ‘Benton’
From an edition of 250
Published by Associated American Artists, New York
Fath 64
Wide margins with deckled edge
Another impression from this edition is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Image dimensions: 8 5/8 x 13 ¼ in. (21.9 x 33.6 cm.)
Sheet dimensions: 11 3/5 x 16 in. (29.4 x 40.6 cm.)
Very good condition

Influential Regionalist artist Thomas Hart Benton is renowned for his naturalistic works depicting the plight of rural America. With an undercurrent of social realism, his pieces simultaneously elevate the work of the common man and the American landscape. In “Fire in the Barnyard,” three men rush to put out a fire. Featuring Benton’s characteristic undulating lines and deep contrast, the work teems with a sense of urgency and movement.

Executed in 1944, this lithograph on wove paper is signed in pencil and in the plate. Published by Associated American Artists, New York, the work is from an edition of 250. With full margins, the sheet measures 10 ½ x 15 1/8 inches. Mat burn around image, slight toning to extreme sheet edges verso. Otherwise in good condition with no evidence of tears or repairs.

Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975)

Among the most influential and well-known artists of the Regionalist movement, Thomas Hart Benton is known for his naturalistic paintings and prints that captured the mood of Depression-era America. Born in Missouri, Benton served in WWI and afterwards developed the naturalistic and representational approach that depicted the realities of agrarian life and the pressures of industrialization. Regularly incorporating quintessential American icons of progress in him images – railroads, cars, factories – Benton’s treatment of his subject matter points to an underlying social commentary on the tension between rural and urban life. He continued to make prints and paintings in this style until his death in 1975.