Analysis Paper: Clay County Farm

Thomas Hart Benton was a popular Regionalist painter who

showcased the culture of the American Midwest. He focused mainly on
the Midwest such as the Missouri area (his home state) despite living in
New York for quite some time. His works were solely enriched
depictions of Americas heartland. What really caught my attention
about Clay County Farm was how beautifully Benton illustrated the
importance of nature around man rather than man himself. In a way,
the painting portrayed God at work and man just being a small entity
allowed to partake in His work. By including a smaller man, the viewer
is instantly made aware that the focal point was nature or God. Benton
juxtaposed the worlds beauty around us instead of the glorification of
man. The man is wearing blue overalls that are similar to the same
blue used in the sky and the pond. I believe Bentons purpose for using
similar colors was to make man a part of his surroundings and to not
contrast too much, distracting the attention away from the world. It
has been reported that Thomas Benton crafted clay models for his
paintings before starting to better his craft. I believe that this
technique alludes to God as well; Benton had a chance to create an
actual property located in Missouri and saw this area from Gods
view.
This work was in the Jackson T. Stephens Gallery and was
surrounded by paintings that were fairly small and gray scale. The

surrounding works and the large size of Clay County Farm aided in
engulfing the viewer. Despite the size and the colorfulness of the
painting, the work contained soft colors such as pale greens, blues,
and lavender. I remember not having to lift my head up or down
because it was at eye level. The work was not intimidating and did not
seem out of place; it was almost inviting. The pale, soft colors and eye
level view offset the size of the painting and really captured my
attention for the entire visit. Clay County Farm was created using oil on
canvas. This process is usually paired with pigments bound by a
medium of drying oils like linseed oil, poppy seed oil, and walnut oil.
Thomas Benton also used a blotting technique to reveal the many
levels and depths of the mountains or to show distance.
Clay County Farm is the depiction of the simplicity of the
countryside life. The trees, clouds, grass, and water were all drawn in
larger portions whereas the one man in the work is the smallest
aspect. The assigned size portions further aids the viewers belief that
the works purpose is not to glorify man. This two-dimensional piece
had curved lines adding to the fluidity of the work along with the
display of a pond. The shading and color usage reflected the time of
day and the position of each element of the painting. Although I
believe that this painting was alluding to God, one could make the
assumption that really man was the focal point because the viewer

immediately notices that there is just one small man standing by the
riverbank.