Thomas Hart Benton (American Regionalist Painter, 1889–1975)
Known for his contributions to the Regionalist art movement and his gritty depictions of everyday American life in the Midwest, Thomas Hart Benton briefly returned to abstraction with Fantasy (1946).
Some historians attribute this brief revival to a 1944 visit to New York City, where Benton attended an art show by his former pupil, Jackson Pollock. Taken by Pollock’s style and work, Benton was likely inspired to translate the rotary motion of his beloved steam engines into this beautiful abstract composition.
Oil on canvas laid on panel
H 26½" × W 19" (67.3 × 48.3 cm)
Signed and dated lower right: Benton ’46
$300,000