A Critique of Cradling Wheat

A detailed Summary of A Critique of Cradling Wheat

Often times people tend to look at a work of art and only see a

picture. Later, if one looks closer a clear message or meaning is

depicted by the artist. Thomas Hart Benton's work, Cradling

Wheat, for example is just a picture at first glance, but as one

examines the painting closer, the story behind it becomes evident.

This tempera and oil on board composition illustrates four

men in a field threshing and bundling wheat. Benton draws the

viewers eye forward by placing the characters in the foreground of

the work and the surrounding landscape in the back. Here, the

American artist presents the focal point he intended. The faces of

the men in the piece are all hidden by hats, distance, or turned

backs. By hiding their faces the conclusion c

clever, American artist is aiming to show the life of a farmhand, he

Following the light green field is yet another field. It appears

field. The use of the dark emerald vegetation emphasizes the

wheat field to life. While the texture of the wheat is definite, it is

of green. By adding this field, Benton implies that the farm grows

trousers and sky-blue work shirts, they appear to be wearing

no-named and insignificant and expresses his opinion by giving

motors because the men are using hand tools to cut and bundle

Approximate Word count = 513
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts

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