Outreaching Hands 1931

Here's what I think about Thomas Hart Benton's "Outreaching Hands", at The Met. I can only imagine Benton, with his brush, teasing out these reaching hands against a sky that is both muted and full of dread. The hands, they're so expressive, aren’t they? Almost like they’re dancing or maybe begging. The artist’s touch, it's like he’s sculpted the figures right out of the canvas, they are so plastic and gestural. The hands move from domesticity, pouring a drink, all the way to money exchanging hands. What is being bought, and what is being sold? I imagine Benton, back then, wrestling with form, trying to capture the essence of a feeling or a thought through the sheer physicality of paint. It makes me wonder about the conversations he might have been having with other artists of his time. How do we translate the messiness of life into something tangible and resonant? It’s an ongoing question, something that continues to challenge and inspire us all.