House in Cubist Landscape 1920

Thomas Hart Benton created "House in Cubist Landscape" using watercolor. It's a fascinating example of how an artist works through ideas; you can feel the push and pull as Benton figures things out. The paint is thin, washy, almost like he’s thinking out loud. Look at how the colors bleed into each other, creating soft edges, like in the upper triangle in the background. He's not trying to hide the process. The brushstrokes are visible, and the paper shines through in places, which makes the whole thing feel airy and light. There's a lovely dark green block at the front, with a single confident stroke cutting across it. It feels so solid against the ephemeral background. It reminds me a bit of Cezanne, with its attempt to break down form into geometric shapes, but Benton’s got his own thing going on, particularly in his later, more representational work. Art's just an ongoing conversation, isn't it? And it's never really finished!