Untitled (California Rural Landscape) c. 1937 - 1939

Thomas Theodore Craig made this drawing of a rural landscape in California with graphite on paper. The drawing is quite tonal, as the landscape shimmers through a series of dark and light gradations. I can imagine Craig outside, studying this scene. The wind is blowing; the trees are swaying this way and that. He draws the rolling hills and the horses. The sky feels heavy above; maybe it's about to rain. The whole thing is a bit surreal, with the landscape looking more like sand dunes. It reminds me of other artists from the same period, like Grant Wood, with this desire to capture the essence of America in these highly stylized landscapes. Craig has somehow given the image a quiet drama, as if something exciting has happened, or is about to. The houses look empty. Where are the people? He is whispering something that makes me want to stop and listen. Artists are always doing that, you know, borrowing from each other across time, sparking ideas in one another.