Agriculture in Art
Oscar E. Berninghaus
Cotton Picking, 1929
Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874-1952) was a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists. Most of his paintings were scenes of the American Southwest. Berninghaus was self-taught. This painting is of a cotton field in the Texas Panhandle.
Discussion and Activities
- Describe the sky. Can you determine the time o year from the color of the sky?
- Find the horizontal lines in the painting.
- Find the geometric shapes.
- What is the predominant color?
- Where is the center of interest?
- What is the mood of the painting?
- What objects are in the distance? How can you tell?
- Which objects are closer? How can you tell?
- Compare this painting with another painting of
- How is this historic scene different from a scene in a modern West Texas cotton field?