Western Tourist Camp

In the summers of the 1920s and 1930s, Benton traveled across the United States, drawing what he encountered. Here, the flowing, rhythmic lines and limited, earth-toned palette capture a Western camp where water, bathroom facilities and a place to rest were available for passing travelers. Auto camping--either in tents or later, in rustic roadside cabins--was a popular American pastime from the 1910s through the 1940s. Often driving the ubiquitous Tin Lizzie (Model T Ford) and making informal meals from canned goods, "tin-can tourists" were a common sight along roads leading to national parks and other popular tourist destinations. Benton's works are part of the American Regionalist school; he depicted current American scenes and events, and painted murals that focused on American social history. Although he rejected abstract art and concentrated on stylized, figurative works, among his students was the young Jackson Pollock, who would become the foremost exponent of Abstract Expressionism.