Our Good Earth

"Our Good Earth"  By John Steuart Curry 

Painted 1941, Kansas USA

Oil paint on canvas

I chose this picture because I loved how it included children. Typically, farm artwork does not include children and just focuses on the adults. This causes people to not think of farming as a family business, when in reality the children do just as much work as the adults. 

This picture shows several aspects of farming. The first thing I noticed when I saw it was the man with his two children. They are out in the middle of the field, probably getting ready to harvest the wheat. The father's face is extremely stern, possibly anticipating the harvest to come or perhaps he had a rough season. It shows that farming is unpredictable and requires a lot of dedication. The father is also wearing tattered clothing from all the hard work that needed to be done. The children are dirty as well, which implies that they help out with the farm work. It shows that farming requires the entire family to help and do their part. Another thing noticeable about this painting is the wind. You can tell it is blowing decently hard and it relates back to how farming is unpredictable. Every day you do not know what type of weather you are going to get and the affect it will have on your crop. Whether it is a good harvest or a bad one, you have to keep moving forward and stay dedicated to your lifestyle. 

Curry, John Steuart. Our Good Earth. 1941. Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, WI. Chazen Museum of Art. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.