A Social History of the State of Missouri (detail) - Hay Thrower 1936

Thomas Hart Benton made this mural, a social history of Missouri, with oil on canvas. It’s a tumbling jumble of bodies, animals and machines. He uses these curved lines, almost cartoonish, to suggest movement, and it’s all powered by a strong, saturated palette. What I love about this section, ‘Hay Thrower’, is how the figures emerge from the wall, almost bursting into our space. Look at how Benton builds up layers of paint to create these muscular bodies. It’s a real physical process, you can feel the artist's hand in every stroke. I want to reach out and feel the hay, and the texture of the overalls. Benton reminds me of Diego Rivera, another artist who used murals to tell stories about working people. Both artists embrace the messy, complicated realities of life, and they remind us that art doesn't have to be pretty to be powerful.