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Wisconsin Farm Scene

Wisconsin Farm Scene

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John Steuart Curry

John Steuart Curry was artist-in-residence (the first such post in the country) in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's college of agriculture from 1936 until his death in 1946. Known as a regionalist along with Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood, he attempted to create a universal art by depicting local landscapes and events with which the public could readily identify. Wisconsin Farm Scene (1985.319) was one of a three-part mural for the First National Bank, Madison, painted in 1941. The complete mural portrayed fall scenes in and around Madison, with a panoramic view of the city with its lakes and capitol contrasted to the countryside with its rich harvest. Smaller side panels showed fall birds and crops Curry's mature style showed line and narrative being replaced by an emphasis on color and composition.
Artist
John Steuart Curry
(American, 1897 – 1946)
Title
Wisconsin Farm Scene
Date
1941
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
88 7/8 x 97 in. Overall
Credit
Gift of First National Bank and First Wisconsin Corporation
Accession No.
1985.319
Classification
Paintings
Geography
United States

Related

1941, commissioned by the First Wisconsin National Bank of Madison (Madison, WI); December 1985, gifted to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • "SchoolsMusuemsART (SMART) Project." Madison, WI: Madison Metropolitan School District, 2002.
  • Lidtke, Thomas D. and Annemarie Sawkins. "A Creative Plate: The History of Wisconsin Art." Cedarburg, WI: Cedarburg Art Museum, 2021. p. 199, fig. 4.28

  • John Steuart Curry: At Home in Wisconsin: Museum of Wisconsin Art, 6/27/2014–9/14/2014
  • Inaugural Show: Museum of Wisconsin Art, 4/1/2013–4/1/2014
  • 100 Years of Wisconsin Art: Milwaukee Art Museum, 9/24/1988–11/6/1988

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