Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, into family of politicians. His mother encouraged his art, but his father was determined that Thomas become a lawyer or politician. He eventually studied art in Paris, France.
His paintings were burly. Energetic. And as uncompromising as the Midwestern landscapes and laborers they celebrated. Thomas Hart Benton depicted a self-reliant America emerging from the Depression. Ken Burns tells the bittersweet story of an extraordinary American artist who became emblematic of the price all artists must pay to remain true to their talents and themselves.
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