Spring Tryout
Artist
Thomas Hart Benton
(American, 1889 - 1975)
Date1943
MediumLithograph on paper
DimensionsOverall: 9 1/2 × 13 5/8 inches (24.13 × 34.61 cm)
Credit LineGift of Robert M. White II in honor of his father, L. Mitchell White
Object numberF97-2/28
Signedpencil lower right margin
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionLandscape with low horizon line. In center is a man trying to ride an upset horse bareback. One man is on the ground. In the distance to the left is a marn and trees. The large sky is filled with expressive clouds.Gallery Label"For a growing boy, the country is filled with more events and provides more opportunities for unrestrained activity than does a city." —Thomas Hart Benton
When springtime comes, even an old horse’s vigor is renewed. In Spring Tryout, a humorous lithograph made after an oil painting of the same title, Benton fondly revisits an incident from his own childhood when he and a friend took an old horse for a bareback joy ride. The boys were no match for the horse, made unexpectedly frisky by the season. The would-be artist lost his grip and was tossed to the ground while his friend struggled to avoid a similar fate.
Copyright© Thomas Hart Benton and Rita P. Benton Testamentary Trusts / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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