“**Cotton Pickers, Georgia**,” a genre painting created by Thomas Hart Benton between 1928 and 1929, is an evocative work in the Regionalism art movement. Executed in tempera and oil on canvas, this artwork measures 72.6 by 91.1 centimeters and is presently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, NY, US.
The artwork vividly portrays African American laborers engaged in the arduous task of picking cotton in the fields of Georgia. The focal point features several figures bent over or seated, deeply absorbed in their work. In the foreground, two individuals, one holding a bundle of cotton and the other resting momentarily, capture the viewer’s attention. Surrounding them are other workers, including a child and an older figure, engaged in various activities associated with the cotton harvest. The background reveals a wagon loaded with cotton bales and a rustic barn, symbolizing the fruits of the labor. The colors and brushstrokes employed by Benton emphasize the heat and toil under the southern sun, imparting a profound sense of realism and immediacy to the scene. The overall composition effectively communicates the daily life and struggles of the field workers, serving as a poignant commentary on their socioeconomic conditions during that era.
