Our Good Earth
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Our Good Earth
1942 - 194220th
60.13 in. x 48.13 in. (152.72 cm x 122.24 cm)
John Steuart Curry, United States, (1897–1946)
User Text 1 The U.S. Department of the Treasury asked John Steuart Curry to produce a war propaganda poster in 1941 as the country entered World War II. Though many posters used fear to inspire patriotism, Curry believed Americans would be more inspired by a positive image. For the commission, Curry painted Our Good Earth, which features the monumental figure of a white farmer standing in his fields flanked by two children who represent the future. The painting symbolizes the power of American agriculture to feed soldiers fighting to defend the country for future generations. For the poster, the government reproduced the painting with the caption, “Our Good Earth—Keep it Ours,” underscoring both U.S. nationalism and adding an element of threat.
Creation Place:
North America, United States
Medium and Support:
Oil on hardboard
Credit Line:
Gift of the U.S. Treasury Department to the College of Agriculture to the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Accession Number:
3.1999.1
Old University art collection number is 43.11.1. This painting belongs to the UW College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Gift of the U.S. Treasury Department to the College of Agriculture), but was given to the Chazen in 1999 on "permanent loan." Farmer with two children in tall field of wheat; blue sky with clouds; farmbuildings in distance; gold, blue, and tan.
Current Location:
Chazen : Gallery : 20
Keywords
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Additional Images
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Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- John Steuart Curry: Inventing the Middle West Elvehjem Museum of Art , 3/7/1998 - 5/17/1998
- American Heroism National Museum of Western Art , 7/23/2001 - 10/28/2001
- John Steuart Curry: At Home in Wisconsin Museum of Wisconsin Art , 6/27/2014 - 9/14/2014
Dimensions
- frame Dimensions: 71.25 x 59.13 x 4.13 in. (180.98 x 150.18 x 10.49 cm) Measured by Johanowicz, Steve
Bibliography List
This object has the following bibliographic references:
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Michael Bell.
Bell, Michael. "Country Boys: Masculinity and Rural Life." University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2006.
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Penn State University Press.
University Park, PA, 2006
Page Number: cover -
Tanaka, Masayuki. "American Heroism." Tokyo: The National Museum of Western Art, 2001.
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The National Museum of Western Art.
2001
Figure Number: no. 40 -
Owings, Frank N., Jr., "Frank Lloyd Wright and Regionalists: Visions for America," Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly Vol. 14 No. 1 (2003): 4-15.
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2003
Page Number: pp. 4-15 -
Santa Barbara Museum of Art. The Gloria and Donald B. Marron Collection of American Prints. Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1981.
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Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
1981
Page Number: p. 143, Figure Number: no. 101 - Junker, Patricia. "John Steuart Curry: Inventing the Middle West." New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1998. . Hudson Hills Press. 1998
- Wisconsin Humanities Council, [Brochure], 2002. . 2002
- Bertels, Alice S. "John Steuart Curry: The Road Home." Overland Park: Leathers Publication, 2006 . Leathers. 2006
- "SchoolsMusuemsART (SMART) Project." Madison, WI: Madison Metropolitan School District, 2002. . Madison Metropolital School District. 2002
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Seaton, Elizabeth G., Jane Myers, and Gail Windisch, eds. "Art for Every Home: Associated American Artists 1934-2000." Manhattan, Kansas: Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University and Yale University Press, 2015.
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Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University.
Manhattan, Kansas, 2015
Page Number: p. 128, Figure Number: no. 9.4 -
Baker, D. Frederick, "A University Collects: The Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin," in Antiques & Fine Art Magazine (Autumn/Winter 2013) vol. XII, issue 6 :184-193.
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Antiques & Fine Art.
Watertown, MA, 2013
Page Number: p. 1, Figure Number: no. 185 -
Weyl, Christina. “Our Good Earth? By Nathan Meltz,” Art in Print, vol. 7, number 5 (January-February, 2018): 50-51.
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Art in Print.
Chicago, IL, 2018
Page Number: p. 50 -
Eldredge, Charles C. "We Gather Together: American Artists and the Harvest." Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2021.
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University of California Press.
2021
Page Number: p. 104, Figure Number: fig. 54 -
Lidtke, Thomas D. and Annemarie Sawkins. "A Creative Plate: The History of Wisconsin Art." Cedarburg, WI: Cedarburg Art Museum, 2021.
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Cedarburg Art Museum.
2021
Page Number: p. 238, Figure Number: fig. 4.72
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