Thomas Hart Benton

The South, Rice Threshing
1930

A vibrant, expressionistic painting depicting a scene of industrial labor with multiple workers engaged in various activities. The foreground shows two men with hats, one sawing wood and the other bending over his work. In the middle, a large figure in white is hammering down with a massive tool, while another operates machinery emitting smoke. The background features a serene landscape with buildings, suggesting a contrast between the pastoral and the industrial. The painting uses bold, dynamic brushstrokes and a rich color palette to convey movement and the intensity of physical work.

A vibrant, expressionistic painting depicting a scene of industrial labor with multiple workers engaged in various activities. The foreground shows two men with hats, one sawing wood and the other bending over his work. In the middle, a large figure in white is hammering down with a massive tool, while another operates machinery emitting smoke. The background features a serene landscape with buildings, suggesting a contrast between the pastoral and the industrial. The painting uses bold, dynamic brushstrokes and a rich color palette to convey movement and the intensity of physical work.

Not on view

Date
1930

Classification
Drawings

Medium
Oil and graphite pencil on board

Dimensions
Overall (irregular): 15 1/16 × 18 × 1/4in. (38.3 × 45.7 × 0.6 cm)

Accession number
31.392

Credit line
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase

Rights and reproductions
© T.H. Benton and R.P. Benton Testamentary Trusts / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

API
artworks/756

Exhibitions

Modernisms

Aug 29, 2007–Jan 13, 2008

Thomas Hart Benton
32 works in the collection

View artist