Westward: Hollywood

Hollywood
Thomas Hart Benton, Hollywood, 1937
Westward
BY REID GUEMMER

What better way to end our series on American expansion and iconic images of the country than to discuss Thomas Hart Benton's Hollywood. Missouri born, Benton shifted from the New York scene to portraying his roots and Midwestern life. Although Benton primarily focused on the everyday person, here he widens his scope to portray a vignette of behind-the-scenes Hollywood.

Benton's iconic style developed from his synchronist influence. He attempted to intertwine music by creating a fluid motion through his work, especially in the way he paints bodies. The signature style is achieved through the sculpting of muscles in a fashion that flows so naturally.

The rich colors and hectic scene show the scramble west. Beginning with manifest destiny, people adopted the idea that westward expansion was a right and one that they would take advantage of. The west represents the potential for new opportunities. Hollywood played a central part in representing the ideal American Dream, whether through celebrity lifestyle or what was presented by the media. The woman being the focus of the painting while there are other people working without much recognition parallel how, today, we focus only on a small group of people (celebrities) while most of the country goes unnoticed. Despite the chaos, the woman is still the focal point.
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Westward: Stag at Sharkey's

George Bellows


George Bellows, Stag at Starkey's, 1909
Westward
BY REID GUEMMER

As a child I vividly remember a print of this painting hanging in our basement. Despite the violent content, it makes me feel some sort of comfort, given its familiarity.

George Bellows was born and raised in Ohio. He never managed to leave the country, although through much time spent in museums, he managed to achieve an European sort of style. Bellows can be classified as a realist, although throughout his career he experimented with loose brush strokes and color, which placies him in the vicinity of the modernists.

Bellows is primarily known for his various portrayals of New York, whether that be cityscapes or boxers. In this case, it's boxers. Across from his studio was Sharkeys bar, where organized boxing matches would take place in the back room. The matches were illegal, and that is where the name of the painting Stag at Sharkey's, comes into play. "Stags" refers to the illegal fights that went down.

Bellows quickly became a fan and obtained a member to the exclusive group of individuals who viewed these matches.

The angle at which we view the boxers creates the effect that the viewer is a part of the crowd. The peach skin tone of the boxers functions as the light source for the painting, and their sweat glistens in the well-lit ring.

By the end of his career, Bellows was known as one of the most respected American painters of his generation. Before pursuing his career in painting, he was offered an offer to play professional baseball but turned it down. Either way, Bellows would've eventually been seen as an American icon.

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Westward: Untitled (I shop therefore I am)

Barbara Kruger
Barbara Kruger, Untitled (I shop therefore I am), 1987
Westward
By REID GUEMMER

I felt a series discussing American expansion and manifest destiny would not be complete without touching on consumerism. After the conclusion of World War II employment rates greatly increased, as did incomes. Rising adults realized the mobility of their spending, and thus the rise of consumerism began.


When I first looked at this photograph, trying to come up with ideas on what to write about, one specific phrase came to mind: your dollar is your vote. Today this concept holds especially true. With countless companies discriminating against transgender and homosexual people, it makes me truly consider the companies my spending supports. "I shop therefore I am" represents the same idea. Without the consumers support a company can not succeed, and your spending represents your support.


Barbara Kruger, one of the most influential female artists, developed her career using her fearless ability to confront current events through well-developed graphics. Not only does Kruger's black, white, gray scale, and red color scheme enhance the message she wished to portray, but her pieces were exceptionally large. Covering everything from buildings to public transportation, the size of her work heightens the audiences senses and expands the work's influence. 

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Westward: Corn Fields

Corn Fields

Corn Fields, unknown, Peter J. Cohen Collection
Westward
By REID GUEMMER

Corn Fields, an album of photographs collected by Peter J. Cohen takes a look at midwestern American life. The photographs depict familial pride in their crop and their midwestern lifestyle. 

Cohen, a photography enthusiast, saved more than 50,000 discarded photographs over his collecting career. After the development of Kodak's handheld camera, photography became a much more accessible artistic medium. The amateur, folk-art style of his photographs only add to the American authenticity of the collection.

Cohen approaches this project in an interesting way, he gives a collection of photographs with an overarching theme one title that could apply to each of photographs included. The photographs above are two out of twelve in a collection. The shots of everyday life could have been taken by anyone. For me, that's what makes this collection so interesting. Rather than a posed, planned, and then executed project these are actual photographs, taken by actual people, of actual people. 

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