Thomas Hart Benton
The Boy, 1948
Lithograph, 9 1.2 x 13 3.8 in.

Thomas Hart Benton described this image as an 'Ozark boy setting out from home - to go to school or to find work. The folks and his horse say good-bye.' Benton created this lithograph as a study for a painting. He was known for paintings of American rural and city life. Benton's energetic figures and landscapes have a sense of rhythm, movement, and depth. He was known to make clay sculptural models for all his works, which helps to explain their three-dimensional illusion.


Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, in 1889. He studied for many years in both Europe and New York, and began his art career as a cartoonist. In creating art about the America he saw, he produced paintings, prints, and murals, which brought him popularity and fame. In 1934 Benton painted a self-portrait that was used as the first color cover of Time magazine. One of his greatest pieces was a mural painting for the Missouri state capitol in which he portrayed all aspects of Missouri life, such as hog farms, large industries, and town meetings. After a productive career, Benton died in 1975.