Ben Ragan and Trouble 1941

Thomas Hart Benton made this lithograph, Ben Ragan and Trouble, using grease and acid on a slab of limestone to create the image. Imagine him drawing with that greasy crayon, pushing the tonal contrasts to give the figures their weighty monumentality! I find myself wondering what Benton was thinking as he drew them: man and his dog standing on a precipice – about to jump off, or about to take on the world. There’s such an assuredness to the inky hatching. Look at the light reflecting off the dog’s back, and the rapid marks with which he renders the undergrowth and the splash of water. This piece reminds me of Marsden Hartley and his dark, brooding figures, but I think Benton’s got a bit more pep in his step. These guys were all in dialogue, all talking to each other about how to represent American life in a way that felt authentic, new, and raw. Painting can be a generous act of offering possibilities.