Thomas Hart Benton

Thomas Hart Benton

His paintings were burly. Energetic. And as uncompromising as the Midwestern landscapes and laborers they celebrated. Thomas Hart Benton depicted a self-reliant America emerging from the Depression. Ken Burns tells the bittersweet story of an extraordinary American artist who became emblematic of the price all artists must pay to remain true to their talents and themselves.

Painting America

2m 7s

Thomas Hart Benton painted America. For more than seventy years he painted its cities and small towns, its farms and backwoods. He painted its people, too: faith healers and lovers, politicians and soda jerks, farmers and movie stars.

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