Analysis Of The Cummer Museum: June Morning, By Thomas Hart Benton
Museum Report
The first piece of art that I decided to write on that I came across in the Cummer Museum was June Morning, by Thomas Hart Benton, painted in 1945.His oil painting depicts everyday life on a farm, with a rancher milking a cow, the sun breaking the clouds in the background behind the barn, and beautiful flora at the base of the picture; giving the illusion that you are peeking through the greenery for the glimpse of the farm (Cummer Resources. #3 Thomas Hart Benton – June Morning.).
Aside from Thomas Hart Benton’s painting being slightly abstracted with exaggerated angles, his down to earth piece is more than likely a statement that normal people continued with their everyday lives despite the horrors of World War II. The painting
was more than likely driven by the focus that war takes away from daily life and the fear of the unknown consequences that were to follow the war. June Morning screams “Life goes on”, and also “This is what the soldiers fight for: The beautiful everyday common scene of home”. The piece is a stark and calming contrast to normal war era art, and the beautiful hues of earthy colors combined with flowing curvy shapes brought a smile to my lips and the thought of wanting to own a copy of this masterpiece to hang in my home. June Morning is an epic painting.
The second piece of art I chose to write about after seeing was Parade to War, Allegory, by John Steuart Curry. This morbid painting depicts a parade of soldiers marching though a bustling street, with civilians seeing the soldiers off while the soldier’s faces are depicted as being skeletal, creating a sense of dread and foreboding for the death to come. Painted right before World War II, John Steuart Curry’s inspiration for painting the scene is obvious: War is hopeless, the death toll will be ridiculous, and the parade is just a show for nothing (Cummer Resources. #1 John Steuart Curry – Parade to War.).
The drab colors and realistic figures, skeletal faces included, hit the nerve of the true mood that one could imagine is present right before such a catastrophe happens. Curry’s painting is amazing in that no matter how positive of an outlook a person has, Parade to War, Allegory is a mental punch in the gut with the sense of nihilism. It is the dreadful embodiment of how people feel before a loved one goes off to war, and simply put, it is sobering. It was a treat to see such dreadful realism packed in beautiful and masterful work.
Work Cited
"Cummer Resources." #1 John Steuart Curry – Parade to War. Curatorial Intern, 13 Dec. 2011.
Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
"Cummer Resources." #3 Thomas Hart Benton – June Morning. Curatorial Intern, 29 Nov. 2011.
Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
The first piece of art that I decided to write on that I came across in the Cummer Museum was June Morning, by Thomas Hart Benton, painted in 1945.His oil painting depicts everyday life on a farm, with a rancher milking a cow, the sun breaking the clouds in the background behind the barn, and beautiful flora at the base of the picture; giving the illusion that you are peeking through the greenery for the glimpse of the farm (Cummer Resources. #3 Thomas Hart Benton – June Morning.).
Aside from Thomas Hart Benton’s painting being slightly abstracted with exaggerated angles, his down to earth piece is more than likely a statement that normal people continued with their everyday lives despite the horrors of World War II. The painting
was more than likely driven by the focus that war takes away from daily life and the fear of the unknown consequences that were to follow the war. June Morning screams “Life goes on”, and also “This is what the soldiers fight for: The beautiful everyday common scene of home”. The piece is a stark and calming contrast to normal war era art, and the beautiful hues of earthy colors combined with flowing curvy shapes brought a smile to my lips and the thought of wanting to own a copy of this masterpiece to hang in my home. June Morning is an epic painting.
The second piece of art I chose to write about after seeing was Parade to War, Allegory, by John Steuart Curry. This morbid painting depicts a parade of soldiers marching though a bustling street, with civilians seeing the soldiers off while the soldier’s faces are depicted as being skeletal, creating a sense of dread and foreboding for the death to come. Painted right before World War II, John Steuart Curry’s inspiration for painting the scene is obvious: War is hopeless, the death toll will be ridiculous, and the parade is just a show for nothing (Cummer Resources. #1 John Steuart Curry – Parade to War.).
The drab colors and realistic figures, skeletal faces included, hit the nerve of the true mood that one could imagine is present right before such a catastrophe happens. Curry’s painting is amazing in that no matter how positive of an outlook a person has, Parade to War, Allegory is a mental punch in the gut with the sense of nihilism. It is the dreadful embodiment of how people feel before a loved one goes off to war, and simply put, it is sobering. It was a treat to see such dreadful realism packed in beautiful and masterful work.
Work Cited
"Cummer Resources." #1 John Steuart Curry – Parade to War. Curatorial Intern, 13 Dec. 2011.
Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
"Cummer Resources." #3 Thomas Hart Benton – June Morning. Curatorial Intern, 29 Nov. 2011.
Web. 03 Nov. 2013.