![Thomas Hart Benton](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ead3e5d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2F9OHh2qo-asset-mezzanine-16x9-ybr8xEg.jpg)
![Benton's Early Years](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2281d7f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FBhrh3KD-asset-mezzanine-16x9-6abHnQu.jpg)
![Painting America](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fefccd9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1918x1079+1+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2F3NOhSUg-asset-mezzanine-16x9-RsGsleQ.jpg)
![Earl Bennent: Benton's Work](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6cf1e45/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FiL3L65r-asset-mezzanine-16x9-F5FIVcY.jpg)
![Dan James: Benton's Persona](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a48a9d6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FAXxmdlZ-asset-mezzanine-16x9-eiXvu32.jpg)
![The Missouri Mural](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ea0d337/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FXbJnuOZ-asset-mezzanine-16x9-yZh3don.jpg)
His paintings were burly. Energetic. And as uncompromising as the Midwestern landscapes and laborers they celebrated. 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.
His paintings were burly. Energetic. And as uncompromising as the Midwestern landscapes and laborers they celebrated. 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.