Cash rides 2600 miles.
Cash!
Paintings from the American Road: Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and back to Virginia
References and Paintings
Virginia Tech Barn
©2007
Graceland Barn
©2004
By Karen J. Stinnett
Lorraine Motel Sign
©2013
Thomas Hart Benton in Nashville
Thomas Hart Benton died while finishing the mural commissioned by the Country Music Hall of Fame, January 19, 1975. It is called The Sources of Country Music and shows themes, such as a train, instruments and musicians. he was 84 and came out of retirement because of his interest in playing and listening to country music.
http://countrymusichalloffame.org/thomas-hart-benton/
Missouri and Arkansas, paintings and reference
The Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas
States series reference
I take photos when I am passing through places quickly and use them for plans. I don’t try to get perfect photos since I just need them in lieu of sketches.
Thomas Hart Benton murals in the Missouri State House
A major WPA work by Thomas Hart Benton covers every wall of the a “Members Lounge” in the Missouri State House in Jefferson City. With the legislature not in session I was by myself with the huge paintings. They tell the story of the history of Missouri, and focus on the workers. Like much of Benton’s work they were controversial, particularly the depiction of lynching.
Indiana through Illinois to Missouri
Finding imagery
I found a building in Bloomington that had a great structure, but the light was at the wrong angle In the afternoon. I returned the next morning for better light. Thinking particularly of my students, light makes all the difference.
Indiana University
Some of Thomas Hart Benton’s most well know large paintings are murals in University buildings in Bloomington, Indiana. They dominate a hall in the Auditorium of the Performing Arts Center. The day I was there a wedding was being set up to take place right beneath them. (the room was too dark for great photos without a tripod, but you can see professionally made photos and read the story of the murals by following this link…the fancy ones don’t, however, include wedding decorations!)
http://www.iuauditorium.com/about-us/thomas-hart-benton-murals
I went into the gallery in the art department. Indiana University is one of the top art schools in the US. The gallery is as large as a small museum, very high ceilings and open floor space with repositionable walls. The current show is based on jewelry and metals. Most of it used jewelry as a concept and the pieces were not really designed to be wearable, rather, the artists used techniques, materials and forms from jewelry making to make small sculpture. The metals show broadly defined metal to include etching (made with metal plates and printed on paper), found objects and sculpture. College galleries are usually free to visit and exhibit innovative art. The work is usually for sale at prices that are as low as they will ever be in an artist’s career.
Indiana University Art Museum in in a building designed by I.M.Pei (same architect as the East Wing of the National Gallery). In front of the entrance is a monumental sculpture in red, by Charles Perry
Indiana Arc, 1995
Painted aluminum
Cash running on the IU soccer fields
Paintings from the American Road 