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The bittersweet story of an extraordinary American artist.
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.
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.
![Painting America]()
For more than seventy years Thomas Hart Benton painted America's towns and its people.
Painting America
![The Missouri Mural]()
Benton was commissioned to paint a mural depicting the social history of Missouri.
The Missouri Mural
![Benton's Early Years]()
Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, into family of politicians.
Benton's Early Years
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