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Thomas Hart Benton was a regionalist painter who influenced Jackson Pollock, a leading Abstract Expressionist, during his formative years as an artist.
Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) was a prominent American painter and muralist from Missouri known for his paintings that celebrated rural American themes through a style commonly referred to as regionalism. Although initially exposed to modern art, Benton rejected abstract styles and preferred representation based on naturalistic expression. He taught at the Art Students League of New York, influencing many artists, including the renowned Jackson Pollock, who later became a key figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement. Pollock studied under Benton and was greatly impacted by his traditional, representational methods, which Pollock eventually rebelled against in his own work. Benton's emphasis on regionalist themes and Pollock's abstract expressionism represent the dynamic contrast between traditions in American art during the early to mid-20th century.
