Thomas Hart Benton

"His paintings were burly.  Energetic.  Thomas Hart Benton depicted a self reliant America emerging from the Depression.  Ken Burns tells the bittersweet story of an extraordinary American artist  who became emblematic of the price all artists must pay to remain true to their talents and themselves." (Ken Burns)

Thomas Hart Benton circa 1935 courtesy http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Thomas_Hart_Benton_(painter).

At the forefront of the Regionalist art movement, Thomas Hart Benton was born and raised in Missouri.  He was named after his great-great uncle, Thomas Benton, who served as one of the first two senators for Missouri.  His father, Colonel Macaenas Benton, was elected to the United States Congress four times.  The family divided their time between rural Missouri and urban Washington DC.

Like Walt Disney, Thomas Hart Benton worked as a cartoonist for a newspaper as a teenager.  And like Disney, he attended The Art Institute of Chicago.  He continued his art education in Paris at the Academie Julian.  Benton's mother strongly believed in his talent and supported her son until he married in his early thirties.

The Art Institute of Chicago circa early 1900's courtesy 

http://www.artic.edu/about/mission-and-history/1879-1913-formative-years.

In 1912 Benton moved to New York City to paint fulltime.  However, the First World War intervened and Benton joined the Navy, drawing sketches of shipyard work and life in Norfolk, Virginia.  Reflecting on his time in the service, Benton explained:  "It was the most important thing, so far, I had ever done for myself as an artist." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hart_Benton_(painter)

Benton returned to New York City in the early 1920's where he picked up his paintbrush once again.  No longer a believer in Modernism, he began to set the tone for what became "Regionalism".  Benton broke into the mainstream when he was commissioned to do paintings for The Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago in 1933.  Despite the quality of the paintings, the Indiana Murals caused controversy due to their depiction of the Ku Klux Klan, at its peak in 1920's Indiana.  An estimated 30% of adult males were part of the KKK.  In 1924, KKK members held political offices including that of governor in the state of Indiana.

http://ww.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2008/04/24/_ul_jj_1mural0424+Z.jpg

In 1935, Benton was featured in one of the first colour photographs on the cover of Time magazine. By this point, after having alienated his left leaning artist friends in New York City, Benton returned to his roots in Missouri.  There, he was commissioned to create a mural for the United States Capitol, A Social History of Missouri.  In a 1973 interview, Benton stated:  "If I have any right to make judgements, I would say that the Missouri mural was my best work."

One of the murals in the Missouri State Capitol courtesy http://benton.truman.edu/murals_images.html.

Benton was hired to teach art at the Kansas City Art Institute where he had a great effect on a young student named Jackson Pollock, a future member of the Group of Seven.  Later in life, Benton continued to paint murals including: Lincoln (1953), Trading at Westport Landing (1956), Father Hennepin at Niagara Falls (1961), Turn of the Century, Joplin (1962) and Independence and the Opening of the West (1972).  For more, visit http://benton.truman.edu/murals_images.html.

Young Abe Lincoln courtesy https://fr.pinterest.com/pin/308215168228337540/.

In 1975, Benton passed away followed by his wife of 53 years eleven weeks later.  Ken Burns documentary, Thomas Hart Benton, premiered on PBS in 1988 (http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/benton/).

The Congress

"Get up there with that lady that's up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty.  Take a look at this country through her eyes if you really want to see something.  And you won't just see scenery; you'll see the whole parade of what Man's carved out for himself, after centuries of fighting." (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington)

Originally called "The Continental Congress", the United States Congress was established in 1789.  It has the power to pass laws, declare war, admit new states to the Union, post roads, establish post offices, and collect taxes.  Composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Congress also oversees the Executive Branch and has the power to impeach the President.

The Congress meets in the Capitol, one of the biggest symbols of democracy in America.  In his documentary The Congress, Ken Burns widely quotes the Frank Capra movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  The main character, a new senator played by Jimmy Stewart, takes on corruption in the Congress:  "Get up there with that lady that's up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty.  Take a look at this country through her eyes if you really want to see something.  And you won't just see scenery; you'll see the whole parade of what Man's carved out for himself, after centuries of fighting."

According to Ken Burns, the United States Congress has been one of the country's "most important and yet least understood institutions".  The aim of the congress is to provide checks and balances for the President.  Presidents have had varied relationships with Congress over the last 200 plus years.  Andrew Johnson was the only president to be impeached, although Richard Nixon came close.  While John F. Kennedy came up against resistance by the Congress to pass bills, his successor Lyndon Johnson was known for his Great Reform.  In the aftermath of 9/11, George Bush Jr. was given free reign to counter terrorism.  More recently, Barack Obama has had an icy relationship with Congress.

Members of the 43rd Congress stand on the steps of the Capitol courtesy http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/congress/about/.

Huey Long: Populist Hero, Corrupt Demagogue

"He was hailed as a champion of the poor and reviled as a dictator.  Louisiana's Huey Long rose to Governor and U.S. Senator on a platform of social reform and justice, all the while employing graft and corruption to get what he wanted." (Ken Burns)

Huey Long's childhood home in Louisiana courtesy 

http://www.hueylong.com/life-times/childhood.php.

Huey Long, one of nine children, grew up on a farm in North Louisiana.  While most children wanted to go fishing or hunting, Long loved to read, but books were scarce in his community.  He had an insatiable curiosity which he indulged early when he learned how to walk at eight months old.  As a young boy, he could be found in the nearby town underneath a train to see how it worked.  As a teenager, he eschewed farm work for delivering baked goods, setting newspaper type and sales jobs.  

His hometown, Winnfield, was a stronghold of populism.  Long learned from an early age to look out for the needs of the less fortunate.  His mother, a Christian woman who read from the Bible daily and attended evangelical revivals, was always helping the poor.  She would often send Long or one of his siblings to a neighbour's home with gifts of food or clothing.

Long was a champion of the "small man" which would become evident when he embarked on a political career.  As Governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932, he supported many reforms which endeared him to the poor.  Long was so determined to become the next President of the United States, that he wrote a book My First Days in the White House.  Just as Franklin D. Roosevelt had his New Deal, Huey Long had his Share Our Wealth program which included some radical ideas for the pre-welfare 1930's.  

He suggested that every household have a minimum income of $5000 per year so that they could enjoy life's necessities:  a radio, a car and a home.  Everyone over age 60 should receive an old-age pension.  An opponent of banks and big business, Long proposed limiting private fortunes to $50 million, legacies to $5 million and annual incomes to $1 million (https://www.ssa.gov/history/hlong1.html).

In 1929, Long tried to increase taxes on the production of oil but faced strong opposition from the Congress.  Long was determined to get what he wanted.  As a result, charges of "corruption, bribery and gross misconduct" were brought against Long in an attempt to impeach him.  However, he sought the signatures of one third of the Senators to prevent a two thirds majority impeachment.  Those senators who signed the document were later rewarded by Long with state jobs, cash or other rewards.  Huey Long, who had made many enemies in his career, was assassinated in the State Capitol in 1935, pre-empting his run for president.

Huey Long listed as one of the "Ten Most Corrupt Politicians" courtesy http://www.realclearpolitics.com/lists/most_corrupt_politicians/huey-long.html.

Note:  Ken Burns documentary, Huey Long, premiered in 1986 http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/hueylong/film/.

The Statue of Liberty

"And in that moment, I sensed a palpable fragility in her structure, floating there above us.  But at the same time, I felt how powerful the idea she represents is -- an idea more indestructible than anything made of copper or steel, an idea as imperishable as the stars that were shining that night." 

(Ken Burns)

Lady Liberty at Paris World's Fair circa 1878 courtesy 

http://www.timeforkids.com/files/2011-11/110411_statue_ss1.jpg.

It was the first thing that immigrates to the New World saw when they entered New York Harbor.   For some, it represented a friendship between the donor, France, and the recipient, the United States.  For others it was much more:   a landmark of freedom.  

The concept for the Statue of Liberty was conceived in 1865 by a staunch abolitionist and supporter of the Union in the Civil War named Edouard Rene de Laboulaye.  At his home in Versailles, he broached the idea to French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi:  "If a monument should rise in the United States , as a memorial to their independence, I think it only natural if it were built by united effort." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty).  IN 1870, Bartholdi visited New York City, sketches of Lady Liberty in hand, and fixed his eyes on Bedloe's Island as the site for the copper statue.

Designed by Frederick Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel, the architect of the famous tower, the 151 foot statue was built piece by piece.  Lady Liberty's head and shoulders were exhibited at the Paris World's Fair in 1878.  Her torch was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876.  The full statue was shipped to the United States where it was assembled in 1886 on a pedestal built by the Americans, partly financed by public donations.  , the statue was dedicated on October 18, 1886 on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.  Lady Liberty represents Libertas, a Roman goddess, who holds a torch and a tabula ensata inscribed with the date July 4, 1776, the day the Declaration of Independence was signed.  New Yorkers celebrated the statue's completion with their first ticker tape parade, presided over by President Grover Cleveland.

Over the next several decades, from 1892 to 1954, over twelve million immigrants would feast their eyes on Lady Liberty as they entered New York Harbor.  Authors Margret and H.A. Rey, creators of Curious George, were two such immigrants, fleeing Nazi occupied Europe.  Novelist Isaac Asimov fled Communist Russia.  Dance studio legend Arthur Murray came from Poland.  For more information on Ellis Island, visit http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2013/05/may-31.html.

I would guess that some of Ken Burns' relatives sailed past the famous statue as well upon immigrating to the United States.  Ken Burns first became interested in Lady Liberty as she approached her 100th birthday.  Given permission to film night scenes on Liberty Island for his upcoming documentary, he and his crew camped out there overnight.  However, tucked into their sleeping bags under the colossal monument, they could not sleep.  Burns explained:

"And in that moment, I sensed a palpable fragility in her structure, floating there above us.  But at the same time, I felt how powerful the idea she represents is -- an idea more indestructible than anything made of copper or steel, an idea as imperishable as the stars that were shining that night." (http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/statueofliberty/about/)

Note:  For more information on the Statue of Liberty, visit http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2013/05/may-31.html.

http://hdwallfusion.com/wallpapers/happy-diwali/firework-night-at-statue-of-liberty.jpeg

The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God

"Back in the early 1980's, when my then wife Amy Stechler and I were driving through rural western Massachusetts, we came across a remarkable round stone barn on the side of the road whose shape and exquisite workmanship made me stop in my tracks...Who are the people who would make such a thing?  It turned out to be the religious converts at the Hancock Shaker Village." (Ken Burns)

After completing The Brooklyn Bridge, an urban based documentary, Ken Burns turned his attention towards a rural documentary, The Shakers:  Hands to Work, Hearts to God.  While their official name remained the "United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing", unofficially they were called the Shakers after the ecstatic dancing they performed.

Ken Burns came upon the Shakers by accident.  "Back in the early 1980's, when my then wife Amy Stechler and I were driving through rural western Massachusetts, we came across a remarkable round stone barn on the side of the road whose shape and exquisite workmanship made me stop in my tracks...Who are the people who would make such a thing?  It turned out to be the religious converts at the Hancock Shaker Village." (http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/shakers/shakers/)

The Shakers movement began with a former factory worker from England named Ann Lee who immigrated to America in 1774 with eight pilgrims on the eve of the American Revolution.  She practiced celibacy, never married and never had children as did all of the Shakers.  She told her followers to give up their families, property and ties "to know...the peaceable nature of Christ's kingdom" Quakers believed that Christ had come again in the form of "Mother Ann".  Soon, the religious movement was sweeping New England.  At its peak, in 1840, the Quakers included 6,000 people in 19 communal villages which stretched from New England to Ohio to Kentucky.

Shakers were passionate about their work which produced reliable goods and bounteous gardens.  Surplus food was given to the poor.  They were ahead of their time:  women were granted equal rights within the commune by 1787, the year that the United States drafted their Constitution.  In 1817, members who had joined the movement with slaves set them free.  The Emancipation Proclamation was not signed until 1863.  A Shaker owned one of the first automobiles in New Hampshire.  While the state capitol was burning gas, Shakers in the state already had electricity.  

Because the Shakers did not believe in procreation, they eventually died out.  At the time of Ken Burns' documentary debut, there was only a single village of Shakers remaining in Maine.

http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/shakers/shakers/

The Brooklyn Bridge: World's Longest Suspension Bridge

"To me, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge is still one of the most dramatic stories in all of American history." (Ken Burns)



Thousands flocked to the new bridge in its opening week at http://untappedcities.com/2013/10/23/rumor-brooklyn-bridge-stampede-collapse-sparked-fatal-during-opening-week/.

It spanned 5989 feet.  It weighed 14,860 tons.  It contained 3515 miles of wire per cable.  It took 14 years to build.  Originally the East River Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge was the brainchild of John Augustus Roebling and complete by his son Washington Augustus Roebling.

A technological marvel, the suspension bridge's towers were built by floating two wooden caissons upside down in the East River, then building the stone towers on top until they sank to the bottom.  

The bridge's construction left many constructions workers injured including the architect whose toes were crushed and amputated; he developed tetanus and died.  His son, Washington, took over the project.  Later, the son developped a paralyzing injury due to decompression sickness.  Many workers contracted the bends due to the underwater work, a condition that the project physician called "caisson disease".  

Washington supervised most of the work from his apartment window.  His wife, Emily, played a major role in the bridge's construction over the next 11 years, "calculating catenary curves, the strength of materials, bridge specifications and intricacies of cable construction" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge)

The bridge, which cost $15.5 million to construct, was built with several passageways and compartments in its anchorages to fund it.  The vaults, always at a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, were used to store wine.  With a shrine to the Virgin Mary at the entrance to the vault, it was nicknamed the "Blue Grotto.  

Opened in 1883 by President Chester Arthur, the bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time.  The architect, Roebling, was unable to attend the event due to his poor health; he held a celebration at his home, where the president visited him to shake his hand.

The Brooklyn Bridge, not only a conduit for New Yorkers travelling from Manhattan to Brooklyn and back, is also a historical landmark.  People come from far and wide to view its caissons, its cables, its view.  Filmmaker Ken Burns was thrilled to hear that his documentary on the Brooklyn Bridge made a difference in the lives of many Americans, particularly one family:

"In film classes back in college, we had debated endlessly whether films ever had any impact on people's lives, whether films ever really made people do something.  Shortly after this documentary first appeared, the New York Times ran a front page photograph of a married couple and their children walking over the Brooklyn Bridge.  They said they were from Idaho and they had travelled all the way to New York so their family could see first-hand this remarkable structure.  They said they got the idea after watching a film on PBS.  To me, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge is still one of the most dramatic stories in all of American history." 

Today, 125,000 cars, 4,000 passengers and 2,600 cyclists cross the Brooklyn Bridge each day.  It remains one of America's most magnificent landmarks.

The Brooklyn Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge of its time, courtesy http://www.newyork.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2-brooklyn-bridge_650.jpg.

Note:  To see part of the documentary, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-dvOwseK84).

Ken Burns: King of the Documentary

"He told me that my whole work was an attempt to make people long gone come back alive." 

(Ken Burns, quoting his father-in-law)

A distant relative of the famous poet, Robert Burns, Ken Burns was born in Brooklyn, New York. The son of a biotechnician and a cultural anthropologist, Burns was surrounded by books; he devoured the family encyclopedia.  Tragedy struck early when, at 3, his mom was diagnosed with cancer and passed away eight years later.  Her death helped shape his career.

At 17, Burns received an 8 mm movie camera for his birthday and made his first film footage.  He attended Hampshire College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in film studies and design in 1975, studying under photographers Jerome Liebling and Elaine Mayes.  Burns and a college classmate created Florentine Films named after Florence Massachusetts, Mayes' hometown.  He worked for both the BBC and Italian television for a short time.

Burns' father-in-law predicted his future:  "He told me that my whole work was an attempt to make people long gone come back alive."  In 1976, Burns started adapting David McCullough's book The Great Bridge for television.  He believed that the bridge, one of America's greatest landmarks, affected many Americans.  Five years later, Burns documentary, The Brooklyn Bridge, premiered on PBS.  The new film maker was nominated for an Academy Award in 1982.

Burns soon became known for his "technique of cutting rapidly from one still picture to another, in a fluid, linear fashion".  He added first hand narration read by celebrities.  In the background, he played haunting melodies or time period pieces -- classic Ken Burns.

It was not until 1990 that Burns hit the big time with his chef d'oeuvre, The Civil War.  Forty million viewers watched the initial broadcast and Burns became a household name.   He has since made at least two dozen documentaries, the most recent being Jackie Robinson, which aired last month on PBS.  More are forthcoming in 2017 and 2018.

Note:  For a list of all of Ken Burns' documentaries, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Burns.

Ken Burns working on the Civil War courtesy http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Ken-Burns-editing-Civil-War.jpg.