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Born in Missouri, Thomas Hart Benton’s childhood was shaped by discussions of Mid-Western ideals. In 1908 he moved to Paris to study at the Academie Julien, where he was influenced by Cubism and by the distorted and elongated figures in El Greco’s paintings. He returned to the United States and soon became a central figure…

This image of Missouri’s infamous James Brothers was included in Benton’s mural entitled The Social History of the State of Missouri, which is in the state’s Capitol building. The Missouri House of Representatives commissioned the artist to create the mural on the four walls of the House Lounge, a large meeting room. This particular image…