Rethinking Regionalism: John Steuart Curry and the Kansas Mural Controversy (New Directions in American Art)

Discusses the controversy surrounding the murals painted by Curry for the Kansas Statehouse and examines the treatment of Kansas life in his paintings

Curry has not received as much attention as his fellow regionalist painters Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood. Fortunately that situation has been largely corrected by this sparkling study. Kendall uses the controversy over the creation of Curry's murals for the Kansas capital as the fulcrum on which to rest a much broader reexamination of the artist. Kendall is at her best telling of the political, social, and religious underpinnings of Curry's regionalism. Yet his art never gets lost in the discussion of the context. Most troublesome to purist historians will be Kendall's occasional speculation beyond absolute certainty of evidence. Nonetheless, such risks make for a creative study, particularly when the author demonstrates mastery of the subject. Recommended for a wide audience. Charles K. Piehl, Director of Grants Management, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.