Land Marks
Humans and landscapes are inextricably linked. Through utilizing natural resources, working and changing the land, agriculture and urbanization, humans engage with landscape. In turn, landscapes’ climate and natural phenomena and personal and cultural symbolism affect humans. The works in this section ultimately reflect the artistic and physical agency of both humans and landscapes, each acting on the other.
Thomas Hart Benton American, 1889-1975, Missouri Spring (Study for Spring on the Missouri), 1938, acrylic paint on panel, The Madden Collection at the University of Denver, 2016.1.4.
Thomas Hart Benton American, 1889-1975, Rice Threshing, 1944, oil and tempera on masonite, The Madden Collection at the University of Denver, 2016.1.2.
Thomas Hart Benton is known for his regional landscapes of the Midwest that depict everyday people and activities. These works exemplify human interaction with the land, both people gathering from the land and land's natural elements interacting with people. In Rice Threshing, workers utilize the land’s resources in harmony; in contrast, the Americans in Missouri Spring are fleeing from a thunderstorm which threatens their safety and the agriculture that supports their lives. Even in these studies, Benton’s recognizable style of flowing clouds and ambiguous figures draws you in, as each dirt road points you to a moment in action and leads beyond for us to finish the story of these humans and their landscapes in our imagination.
Guy Pène du Bois, French-American, 1884-1958, Crossroads, Date unknown, oil paint on canvas, The Madden Collection at the University of Denver, 2016.1.56.
Think of the ways a certain landscape can convey or influence emotion. In Crossroads, a woman with a worried expression stands at the end of a winding path, dress blowing in the wind. The hazy and ambiguous landscape reflects the emotional state of the woman, emphasizing the power of the scene on the viewer.
Ciani Cesare, Italian, 1854-1925, Man, Plow, Oxen, c. 1885, oil paint on canvas, The Madden Collection at the University of Denver, 2016.1.82.
Chen Chi, Chinese (active in America), 1912-2005, High Noon New York, 1986, watercolor on paper, The Madden Collection at the University of Denver, 2016.1.10.
Lee Balterman, American, 1920-2012, Chicago, c. 1960s, gelatin silver print, University of Denver Art Collection, Gift of Jared and Megan Harbaugh, 2016.5.3.
Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses, American, 1860-1961, Sap Gathering, 1954, oil paint on masonite, The Madden Collection at the University of Denver, 2016.1.66.
Micheal Gregory, American, b. 1955, Kootenai, 2015, oil paint on canvas, The Madden Collection at the University of Denver, 2016.1.31.
Georgy Zelma, Russian, 1906-1984, Untitled (Red Soldiers during the Seige of Stalingrad), 1942, gelatin silver print, University of Denver Art Collection, Gift of Paul and Theresa Harbaugh, 2010.002.2.
Photography presents a uniquely candid moment: it is a true interaction between the subject and the viewer. These three pieces in conversation, create a visual timeline that allows one to see the raw form of humans' actions on the land and being acted upon by the land. The triple hang emphasizes the obvious composition that all three share, but despite their aesthetic similarities, each responds to the idea of landscape differently. In Lee Balterman’s Chicago, the cityscape exemplifies how the environment has been affected by humans. Georgy Zelma’s Untitled (Red Soldiers) transports you into frigid World War II, where the soldiers are at the mercy of their environment just as much as their human foes.
Daniel Sprick, American, b. 1953, Studio with View of the City, 2012, oil paint on board, The Madden Collection at the University of Denver, 2016.1.73.