Thomas Hart Benton

Thomas Hart Benton was born in 1889 in a family with long tradition in American history. His father was a Congressman and his great uncle, whose name he bore himself, was one of the most influential man in the United States in the 19th century, the first Missouri senator and the only senator until nowadays that served 30 years continuously in the Senate (he was elected five times in a row).

Thomas Benton attended the Art Institute of Chicago between 1906 and 1907 and at 19 he was in Paris, center of European painting at the time, where he stayed for three years. Greatly influenced by the French Impressionists, and especially by Cezanne, Thomas Hart approached modernism at the beginning of his painting career. He also imitated Stanton MacDonald-Wright's Synchronism, a somewhat abstract type of painting which he was later keen to deny.

However, Thomas Benton later on gradually moved towards a regionalist style in his paintings, a style that encouraged the country life in local Missouri rather than the cosmopolite life on the Eastern Coast. Many of his paintings, among them July Hay, underline this change of perspective.

We may consider Benton not necessarily anti-modernism, but it is true and conceivable that he deems to punish New York and the Eastern Coast for allegedly "not having appreciated him enough." For example, he attacks the homosexual community of New York in 1935, saying that in the Midwest citizens were "highly intolerant of aberration," subjecting the devious queer to "the scrutiny of strong prejudice." In this sense, not only is the Midwest and local life a theme for his paintings, but also a form of expression for his own set of ideals and an ideal place, with moral rules and laws.

Missouri lifestyle and realism in depicting it come together in one of Benton's masterpieces, July Hay, painted in 1943. Indeed, realism is one of the fundamental characteristic of most of Benton's painting. Remember that this is the mid- 1900s, when painters like Dali and Picasso are in vogue and modern and abstract styles tend to predominate. Instead, Hart chooses to depict a piece of land or scenery, people at work, etc. just as they are.

This is also the case with July Hay: a simple scenery, "an everyday activity of the average American," in this case hay harvesting. Perhaps we should first have a look at the painting's colors and notice how Benton uses "strong, contrasting colors to express the beauty of the flora and fauna." Indeed, we are able to identify the different nuances that depict the flora.

For example, the flowers have a very strong nuance of purple, while the leaves (big leaves, situated in the foremost plan so as to get our attention) are a very strong green. We also have a rather uncanny feeling that is relieved by the presence of several nuances of purple in the sky colors. Purple can, on one side, express the vivacity of the flowers on ground and, on the other hand, can give us an eerie feeling when used in the sky.

Benton uses several nuances of yellow, ranging from strong yellow to almost ochre to paint the hay. Of course, as the title of the painting lets us know from the very beginning, this is the main subject of his painting and indeed, it takes up about three thirds of the entire picture. The attention is drawn also by the fact that this is the only part of the painting (excepting the men's hats) where nuances of yellow are used.

By excellence, yellow is a bright color that can easily draw one's attention. Of course, this means letting our imagination go wild: we can also consider that, given the fact that it is hay, yellow is the only color that could be used. However, I am insisting on the bright colors theme and I am considering that the choice of nuance for yellow could go anywhere from darker yellow to ochre, however, Benton's choice in many parts of the hay field is a rather lighter yellow.

If we are to analyze the painting's structure and the way the vegetation and men come together, we are to notice a movement throughout the painting. In fact, I have identified two different movements in the painting: one grouping the men that harvest and the tree on the right hand side of the painting (a movement anti-clockwise) and another asymmetrical movement, including the layer of vegetation on the bottom of the painting (flowers, the large leaves and the lower base of the tree), the hay and the sky.

Let's have a brief look at each. You will notice the tree starting with its lower part somewhere in the middle of the painting, describing an almost half-arch of a circle and ending up in the middle of the painting again, this time on top. This is not by accident: the tree seems to have a connection with the workers in the field. Had we not been aware that it is in the foreground, we might even have had the impression that it is providing shade for them.

It is thus, in my opinion, not by accident that the workers are following the same harvesting direction as the tree: anti-clockwise, this time starting on the right. Even more interesting is the way the sky, hay and lower bottom vegetation move. All three describe a V-movement, which is easily perceivable: the nuance of purple in the sky underlines it, while the slight angle made by the.