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THOMAS HART BENTON (1889-1975)

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<div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div> <div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div> <div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div> <div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div> <div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div> <div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div> <div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div> <div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div> <div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div> <div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div>
Keith’s Farm, Chilmark19558 1/4 x 10 3/4 in.(20.96 x 27.31 cm) oil on panel
Provenance
Private Collection of Jessie Benton (Artist’s daughter)
Gifted from the above to her daughter, Daria Lyman
Private Collection, acquired from the above, 2016
 Price585,000
Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.


 


With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.
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