Signed Lithograph of “Our Good Earth” by John Steuart Curry (1897-1946)

Details

Description

This signed lithograph "Our Good Earth," was created by the prominent American Regionalist artist John Steuart Curry (1897-1946). It was … Read more This signed lithograph "Our Good Earth," was created by the prominent American Regionalist artist John Steuart Curry (1897-1946). It was published in 1942 by the Associated American Artists in an edition of 250.
As a leader of the Regionalist movement (alongside Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton), Curry focused on the "simple dignity" of rural life in the Midwest. It is one of his most iconic works, celebrated for its heroic portrayal of the American farmer during a pivotal moment in history.
In 1942, during World War II, the image was famously adapted the U.S. Department of Agriculture into a government-published war bond poster with the caption, "Our Good Earth—Keep It Ours." Unlike many stark posters of that dark era that used fear, this was a positive, monumental image to rally national support and emphasize the vital role of farming in the war effort.
The viewer is looking upward at this "square-jawed, musclebound" farmer, who stands as a symbol of American strength and self-reliance. The children, almost lost amid the blowing wheat field, represent the future. Foreboding clouds in the background symbolize the encroaching threat to American soil that war bonds were meant to defend.
Copies are held in prestigious collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Princeton University Art Museum.
Signature in stone, lower right, JSC. In graphite, lower right below image: John Steuart Curry (photo #6). Image dimensions: 10”w x 12.75”h. Sheet dimensions: 16.88”h x 12.63”w See less