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J.S. Curry: “Our Good Earth”

“One of the best-known works that is on view, “Our Good Earth” (1940-42), 52 by 40 inches, nicely represents Curry’s approach, especially the mythic quality so important to his work. The oil and tempera on canvas depicts a muscular farmer, clad in overalls, standing hip-deep in a wheatfield with his two young children. Cottony clouds and wispy wheat are rendered with soft brushwork. Despite the scene’s bucolic nature, the farmer has a troubled look on his sideways-looking face, perhaps a harbinger of an unseen approaching storm or a metaphor for the country’s impending entry into World War II.”

WSJ: The Forgotten Regionalist: A Flawed But Compelling Artist Who Has Yet to Get His Due

The painting was later remediated as a War Bonds poster (1942-3)