The Regionalist Triumvirate:
Selected Lithographs by Grant Wood, John Steuart Curry and Thomas Hart Benton from the Doane Art Collection

Curator: 

Erin Cross, Assistant Professor of Art

Proposal Date:

April 2019

Proposed venue: 

Rall Gallery, Doane University, Crete Nebraska

Rationale: 

Per mission statement, written in 2007 by Richard Terrell:

Doane College [University] will maintain a growing collection of works of contemporary visual arts. It will be a primary, but not exclusive goal to collect works by artists with a significant connection to the state of Nebraska, and to preserve and exhibit these works for purposes of teaching and enriching the campus environment. 

The Doane University Permanent Art Collection is an impressive group of prints, paintings, drawings, and some sculptural works. A vast number of these artworks are produced by notable and celebrated artists. The educational and cultural value of the art collection is immeasurable. Using the artworks as teaching tools will influence and inspire students and the surrounding community. 

Proposed Start Date of Exhibition: 

June -August 2019

Expected Scale: How much space will this exhibition take up?

The proposed exhibition will take up the entire Rall Gallery wall space environment. 

Type of work to be included:

Lithographs

Exhibition concept:

Regionalism was an extremely broad art movement during the early 20th century that most often refers to a concentrated group of Midwestern artists who rejected the European influence of abstraction for a more relatable and realistic style. Regionalists championed the argarin landscape and small town life in America. Because the Regionalist time frame was within the 1930’s, these artists are often linked to the Great Depression due to the often contrasting but often optimistic and heroic compositions depicting the beauty, triumphs and piety within the struggling communities. Purely an American movement, it championed the spirit and folklore of the American voice and did not have an organized manifesto but coalesced organically through the often narrative and insightful compositions of the three men known as the “Regionalist Triumvirate.” Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton and John Steuart Curry were not the only artistic voices of Regionalism but their strong sense of nationalism and rejection of modern styles helped dominate themselves as leaders in the movement. It was this same attitude and artistic conviction, however, that forced Regionalism out of favor by the end of WWII.

Why Lithographs?
Because the buying of art was too much of a luxury during the Great Depression, art dealers created the American Artists Association (AAA) and contacted artists to produce affordable art through the technique of printmaking. These prints were sold in magazines as mail order and department stores for 5.00 a print. The editions were large at 250 and the artists signed each one.
Printmaking is a form of art making technique that allows an artist’s work to be more accessible to the general public by allowing the artist to produce many “copies” from one image. Lithography is one form of printmaking. The artist uses a grease pencil and draws on a prepared limestone. The stone is chemically treated and the oily ink resists the wax when paper and stone go through a press resulting in an image transfering from stone to paper.

Rationale of timing:

Although, summer is a time when most students are off campus, this is a time when prospective students are touring the buildings and facilities. The summer exhibitions are a wonderful opportunity to showcase the artwork in the permanent collection and offer prospective students insight on what the Rall Gallery has to offer. 

Contemporary relevance: 

This collection show is rooted in a history, however, by looking at the past we can consider the future. The collection of regionalist work has the opportunity to create dialogues about the traditions and transitions in the socio-economic role of midwestern communities. It is the hope that the visual communication of this exhibition will usher in conversations that allow the viewer to gather knowledge and inspiration that contributes to how they view the world and how the world may view them. 

The last comparable exhibition:

N/A

Potential audience:

Doane University Art Majors and University Community

Potential tour venues:

N/A

Proposed publisher:

N/A

Initial list of artists and works to be included:

Grant Wood

John Steuart Curry

Thomas Hart Benton

Short biography of each artist:

Grant Wood
Born 1891, Anamosa, Iowa Died 1941, Iowa City Iowa

Best known for his painting, ​American Gothic, ​Grant Wood created highly complexed and idealized images of the Midwestern landscape and its people. At first glance, his images tend to lean towards a sense nostalgia or sentimental romanticism but there is also strong sense of dark humor and harmonious isolation expertly and gently composed throughout his work.

John Steuart Curry
Born 1987, Dunavent, Kansas Died 1946, Madison, Wisconsin

Charged with dynamic energy and earnestly driven pathos, John Steuart Curry’s narratives radiate an expressive authority. He boldly beckons the viewer to ask questions that teeter a fine line between spiritual and sinister. Curry’s often awkward accuracy of rendering caused issues with the critics of his day but his poignant visual stories have remained steadfastly relevant.

Thomas Hart Benton
Born 1889, Neosho, Missouri Died 1975, Kansas City, Missouri

Incredibly emotive through his use of exaggerated curvilinear forms and mark making, Thomas Hart Benton’s compositions contain a sense of musical quality showcasing his interest in visual sound within his narrative and rolling landscapes. Bold and outspoken, Benton’s work was often overshadowed by his strong ego that would eventually isolate him from the art world and artists within his own style.