Thomas Hart Benton

American painter, illustrator, and lithographer
American, (1889–1975)
Benton was educated at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the Académie Julian in Paris. While in Paris he met artists such as Diego Rivera and Stanford Macdonald-Wright, who influenced his sensibilities. Benton moved to New York City ca. 1912 where he began exhibiting his works (then reminiscent of Synchromism), and fell under the influence of Marxism. In the early 1920s, his work began exploring American narrative themes utilizing highly stylized figurations and backgrounds. By the 30s, Benton was considered a Regionalist, and had been commissioned to paint the first of many murals, which spawned controversy because of their politics. Benton left New York City in 1935 and continued to paint socially conscious murals until the 1960s.