Trail Riders 1965

Editor: Here we have Thomas Hart Benton’s "Trail Riders," painted in 1965, using oil on canvas. It's a sweeping landscape, quite stylized. What’s striking to me is the tension between the idealized vision of nature and the labor implied by the "trail riders." How do you read this work? Curator: From a materialist perspective, "Trail Riders" becomes a fascinating exploration of production. Benton, a champion of Regionalism, uses readily available oil paint to depict a landscape accessible – at least visually – to a wide audience. But what about the unseen labor of extracting those pigments? The industrial processes behind canvas production? Even the labor of Benton himself in creating this idyllic scene is crucial. Editor: So, it's about more than just cowboys in nature? Curator: Exactly! Consider the social context. Benton created this during a period of increasing industrialization. The painting becomes a nostalgic – perhaps even critical – reflection on the changing relationship between humanity, nature, and labor. Are those riders on the trails really "free", or are they part of a larger system of resource extraction? Editor: That’s a really interesting point. I hadn't thought about the painting in terms of its own material production and the era in which it was made. Curator: Furthermore, his distinctive style – the undulating forms and exaggerated perspective – could be seen as a comment on mass consumption. It is not a straight-up view of the land; the curving lines and almost cartoon-like forms feel like advertising in a way. It makes me think about manufactured desires around the idea of the American West. Editor: So it is less about the real and more about consumption. The real is buried. That completely changes my understanding of the artwork! Thanks. Curator: Absolutely! It just illustrates how crucial it is to consider materiality, production, and cultural background to understanding a work.