Land of Cotton
Robert Gwathmey
1939–1945
- Medium
- Watercolor and gouache, with pen and black ink, and touches of scraping, over traces of graphite on ivory wood pulp laminate board (illustration board)
- Dimensions
- 55.7 × 76.2 cm (21 15/16 × 30 in.)
- Genre
- watercolor
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
About
Land of Cotton is one of several works by Robert Gwathmey that illustrates the social conditions of tenant farmers and sharecroppers in the rural South. Although Gwathmey described himself as an “observer,” his images are not detached or dispassionate depictions of his subjects. This empathetic portrayal of cotton-field workers demonstrates Gwathmey’s close relationship with the people of rural Charlotte, North Carolina, and his desire to draw attention to their harsh way of life.
