An oil painting on canvas depicting a still life with flowers and an apple in the style of Thomas Hart Benton, American, 1889 to 1975. Signed lower left. Framed. The original painting was sold at Sothebys New York on 12.04.2013, lot 7, for $545,000. Thomas Hart Benton is an American artist. Along with John Stewart Carrey and Grant Wood, he is one of the main representatives of American regionalism and muralism. Thomas Benton showed scenes from the everyday life of ordinary Americans, often from his native Midwest. Particularly bright and successful are the pictures of rural life, depicting everyday life of the pre industrial era. His works often depict the melancholy, despair and beauty of small town life. In the late 1930s he created some of his most famous works, including the allegorical nude Persephone. Illustrated novels by Mark Twain and John Steinbeck. One of a kind artwork.